Psych Evaluation
by FutureAuthoress
Summary: When Dr. Samandak comes aboard the Enterprise to psychologically evaluate her crew, she doesn't expect this kind of hostility, especially from another half-bred Vulcan, Commander Spock. And what happens when a Klingon Battle Cruiser enters the picture?
1. Chapter 1

"Thank you for coming, Dr. Samandak." Captain Kirk greeted a young, smiling psychologist in the transporter room.

"Thank you for allowing me on board, captain!" She replied, stepping down off of the transport platform. Kirk was beginning to understand what Captain Endear was talking about when he said "an odd sight". Samandak had the physical appearance of a Vulcan, while carrying herself like a very likable human.

"Do you have bags?" He asked.

She shook her head. "No, just this." She motioned toward her backpack. "My clothes and papers are in here, that's all I need."

"Alright, I would like you to check in with Dr. McCoy, and then Ensign Daren will show you to your quarters!"

"Oh, captain?"

"Yes doctor?"

She smiled, blushing a green blush that just showed more of her Vulcan physiology. "I know this may seem like a silly request at first, but...your first officer is Vulcan, am I correct?"

"Commander Spock?" Kirk was a bit confused, she should be quite aware of all of the ship's personnel. No matter, he thought. "Yes, he is."

"Do you mind keeping my heritage...I don't know, low profile? Don't bring it up."

"Your...heritage?" He didn't know much about the girl, just that she had a very mixed, confusing, and unlikely family tree.

"Yes. My...abilities...well, they are not welcome on Vulcan. I'm sure that your first officer is much more tolerant, but I believe he would accept me better if he did not believe that I was in touch with his mind." Samandak didn't look like she wanted to be deceitful, but it _would _be difficult to do her job correctly if his fist officer didn't trust her.

Captain Kirk pondered this for a moment. "Of course."

Samandak smiled. "Thank you, captain. I should be able to find your sickbay with ease, the layout of the Enterprise and that of the Traveler are quite similar." If it weren't for that smile, she'd sound exactly like...

"Captain," Mr. Spock was in the doorway, standing stark-straight with his usual serious expression on his face, hands clasped behind his back. "May I have a moment of your time?"

"Be right there, Spock." Kirk nodded to him, and then turned back to Samandak. "You may start first thing tomorrow. I'll have a yeoman bring you the list of what order I'd like you to go in. But go on, get settled in."

Samandak's face had faded into a dull expression as well when Spock entered the room, and she nodded in a sullen fashion. "Thank you, captain. Commander." She threw him a glance, and then made her way from the room.

Samandak had been requesting a starship job for years, and when she finally obtained her degree in psychology and had been on the ground for a while, Starfleet sent her to travel from ship-to-ship evaluating each ship's personnel. She was never anyone's favorite person, but she was the best at her job. What Captain Kirk had been told about her strange heritage had been completely true; her grandparents were from four different planets. Her father was half human, half Vulcan, just as Mr. Spock, but he had chosen not to live like other Vulcans. It was what gave Samandak her ability to be emotional and proud at the same time. Her mother's father was a Betazoid, able to read people's minds and emotions. Her mother's mother was an Empath from a planet in the Manerian star system. Her mother and father's chance meeting had been one in a million, and Samandak and her sister Atii had resulted. While Samandak took after her grandmother Santelk, eyebrows and ears ending in sharp points, Atii took after her grandmother on her mother's side, Jewel. She couldn't speak, but had an amazing way of making people feel good, thanks to the Betazoid blood. It was a strange mix indeed, and had made them both very unwelcome on Vulcan. Though the Vulcans were too dignified a race to turn them down outright, it was always obvious that they were frowned upon. Mostly, they lived on Earth-founded colonies, though from time-to-time they would stay on Gramma Jewel's planet. Though the empaths couldn't speak, they provided a very pleasant atmosphere. Samandak and Atii were very welcome there.

"Dr. McCoy?" Samandak rounded a corner into sickbay, glancing around. A blond nurse sat at a desk, and smiled up at her when she entered.

"Yes?" A wrinkled, grumpy face appeared as the doors to the next room over slid open.

"Dr. McCoy, I'm Dr. Samandak. Captain Kirk sent me to you, he told me that--"

"The psychologist." McCoy said. "Yes, I was just informed. Come with me. Christine?"

The nurse looked up from her desk. "Yes doctor?"

-----

Safe now, in her own personal quarters, Samandak threw her backpack down and sighed with relief. She was glad that the captain had given her until tomorrow to start work, she was still exhausted from her work on the Traveler. Captain Endear had been most unkind and impatient, and Samandak could still feel his mistrust shaking her bones. When she'd met Captain Kirk, however, he'd emanated nothing but an excitement for welcoming a new person aboard. And kindness. She didn't know that kindness could be an emotion, but she could still feel that, too. It made her feel good and relaxed.

She unzipped her backpack and started packing her clothes into the small dresser that had been provided her, then flipped through her papers.

There was a buzz that alerted her to someone's presence at the door, and she startled. "Come!"

The doors slid open, and a lieutenant was standing right behind them. "Captain Kirk requested that I relay you a list, ma'am." She said.

"Oh, thank you!" Samandak stood up and walked over, taking the digital tablet gingerly in her hands. She was afraid to start the whole 400 person list over again, it took months to psychologically evaluate that many people. The lieutenant stood there, waiting to be dismissed. Samandak looked up, and flashed a smile. "You can go now." She sensed her nervousness, and figured she must be one of the newest crew members. Once the doors slid shut again, Samandak brushed a loose black lock of hair out of her face, and sat down on her bed with the list. She would read it once tonight before she went to sleep, and start at the top the next morning.

-----

"Spock, it's just standard procedure, everyone on the ship is undergoing the psych evaluation!" Captain Kirk was trying desperately to convince his first officer that it was nothing personal.

"Nevertheless, captain, I do not feel that my current condition warrants investigation." Spock, on the other hand, was determined that he didn't need any kind of therapy session. He felt just fine, he'd told the captain repeatedly. And he did! There was no reason for a nosy doctor to go digging around in his subconscious and writing her little notes. He knew his captain was relentless, but that didn't change his stand on the subject.

"Look, I put you as one of the first on the list," Jim assured him. "You'll be done before you know it!"

"There is still no reason to--"

"Spock, that's an order."

He knew he'd pushed the captain a bit too far, rejecting Starfleet protocol. Granted, it really wasn't much like Spock to resist this kind of thing. Then again, it wasn't like Spock to have a mental breakdown, either. Or any Vulcan, for that matter. He did find this doctor a bit odd...she, like him, was part Vulcan, but appeared to act like any other human on the ship. Extremely loose and comfortable, with no respect for the kind of discipline it took to keep a starship in good working order.

Then Spock realized that he was glaring at the captain, and quickly erased all emotion from his face. "Yes, sir."

Kirk nodded, satisfied, and made his way back to the bridge.

Spock resisted the very human urge to grumble and stare after him, and made his way down to sickbay to fulfill a promise to help Nurse Chapel with an experimental serum.


	2. Chapter 2

Of course, chaos ensued the next day. Samandak couldn't say that she didn't expect it, everybody was always in a flurry when someone was aboard who's profession it was to evaluate their mental health. Despite her mixed blood, Samandak was still tied to a logical viewpoint. For the most part, anyway. Through that view point, she saw no reason for anyone to fear her unless they were insane! But of course, them being humans, Samandak was hit with fear and nervousness throughout the entire day. Occasionally she could feel a bit of resentment being thrown her way, but that was only when she got near the bridge, and she had a pretty good idea about who that was coming from.

"Well, you're my last interview today!" Samandak exclaimed to Ensign Chekov, seated in her quarters. He was her fifth that day, and she was all but spent. After he left, she would be free to make her way to the mess hall for some supper, then back to her room to review her reports, and then sleep and start it all again the next day.

He threw her a nervous smile, twiddling his thumbs.

"So...Pavlov Chekov. What would you like me to call you?" She smiled over her clipboard, revealing a top row of straight, white teeth.

"Chekov will do," He said, in a distinct Russian accent.

Samandak tried to help him relax by asking him a few personal questions and getting him talking...how was his life? Did he enjoy his job? What was his favorite thing to have for lunch? So on. After that, he seemed a bit more comfortable, and she started with a short volley of psychological questions. How many hours of sleep did he get each night? Did he feel comfortable with his colleagues? Did he have trouble communicating? (Which seemed quite an irrelevant question, he was very talkative and clear in his meaning).

-----

Spock had just grabbed a bite to eat and was on his way to the science lab to consume his supper and get back to work, but, much to his chagrin, was intercepted by Dr. Samandak. She invited him to share a table, and since he had nothing of importance waiting for him downstairs, Spock could find no logical reason to decline.

For a split second, Samandak wore an expression of disappointment, but perked up almost immediately and resumed her professional stature. "How has your day been?" She asked.

Spock could tell that she was putting on a serious air for him, and somewhat appreciated it. At the same time, he didn't like her assumption that he would like her less if she acted casual—or more if she acted sincere. "My day has been average." He replied, beginning his meal. "There was a small explosion in the laboratory, however nobody was injured and it was simple to clear up."

"Exciting." She said, loosening up a bit. When he didn't pursue conversation, she jumped in again with, "My day's been average as well. Well, average for me anyway. I'm eternally grateful to captain Kirk for arranging that list for me, it makes things much simpler."

"I see." Spock studied her for a moment. She smiled, and the sight reminded Spock of someone that he knew from home, though he couldn't put a finger on who. He resumed eating.

-----

_Dear Diary,_

_This will be my second night on the Enterprise. I am very tired, I took five interviews today and only have more work to wake up to tomorrow. The first officer does not like me, he gives off a distinct air of mistrust and fear. Though he hides it very well, he is Vulcan, and I expect that of him. It's not his fault, I suppose, but I can't help but feel hurt that he would judge me by my profession. Oh well, it was the same way on Father's planet. I don't think that I'll be able to evaluate him tomorrow, he's not __that close to the top of the list, but I did notice that he is considerably close, and I wonder if the captain worries for him. Scratch that; I _know_ the captain worries for him, I can feel it when I am with them both. It's a subconscious fear, but it is there. The chief surgeon seems to be the only one on this ship who does not seem to have any reservations about me, and though when I pass him in the hallway I feel a sense of exhaustion, I also feel an air of purpose and self-confidence. I do not feel he will be difficult at all. He is near the bottom of the list, so it will be a welcome break once I've been on board for a few months._

Samandak closed her journal and set it on her nightstand. She was exhausted, and after a good meal and some casual chatter with a few of the crew members, she felt extremely ready for sleep. Fortunately, sleep felt extremely ready for her, and she was able to pass out almost instantly once she was in the proper attire.

-----

Spock made his way again from sickbay back down to the science lab. It was his fourth or fifth trip, he didn't bother keeping track. A strange outbreak of itchy red rashes had come to be on the Enterprise, and Dr. McCoy and Nurse Chapel had been working on it for a few weeks, but to little avail. McCoy had finally agreed to let Spock step in, and they were slowly-but-surely working it out.

"How's it coming?" Dr. Mal asked when he entered the laboratory. He'd been in and out several times, and by now each scientist knew his purpose in constantly running in and reaching for bizarre chemicals.

"It's coming along at a slow pace." Spock replied, grabbing a green vial off of a high-up shelf.

"You holding up up there?" Mal asked.

"We are doing fine, if that is what you mean." He did not desire to stand around making idle prattle when he could be on an upper deck delivering the mix, though he was glad to see the young man showing an interest in their progress.

-----

Samandak woke early the next morning from a strange dream, and shook it off as she washed her face. Having slept all night, she felt ready to face the imminent interviews, and threw on a fresh uniform and fixed her hair into a thick bun atop her head. A few strands fell loosely into her face, and though she was sure it was not "code", she left them there. They accented her dainty ears and made her face look a bit narrower, and beside that she was sure nobody would object. Also, she was wearing a baby-powder-blue Starfleet uniform, when she'd been wearing a casual top and skirt the previous day. She was more professional today than she'd been the previous day, when her hair was to code.

She made her way out of her quarters and up to mess, her stomach growling.

"Dr. Samandak?" Lieutenant Kalry approached her, practically screaming uneasiness.

"Yes, Lieutenant?" Samandak replied with a smile. "Why don't you grab something?"

"No, ma'am. I mean—yes ma'am, but--" He huffed with frustration. "I'm sorry ma'am. I was just stopping by to ask you a question."

"Oh, go ahead!" Samandak stopped walking, long enough to hear what Kalry had to say.

"I'm next on the list, right?"

"Yes, that's correct." She figured that her list had been published throughout the computer database for all ship personnel, and was once again thankful to Captain Kirk. He seemed to want to make everything easier for everyone, and he did a very good job of it.

"Are you, is this, um..." He rubbed his hands together, and Samandak had to laugh.

"Don't worry," She said. "It's a psychological examination, not a test! You can't fail it, and the worst that could happen is that you be put on extended shore leave." She patted him on the shoulder. "Relax Lieutenant, and get back to work."

He sighed, and nodded. "Yes, ma'am. Thank you, ma'am." He left, and Samandak raised both eyebrows and shook her head, sadly, then sat down for her breakfast.

-----

"Mr. Spock?"

Spock startled when he heard Christine's voice from the door; he hadn't heard her enter. "Nurse Chapel, good morning."

"Spock have you been up all night?!" She asked, walking past him and beginning to organize her things.

"Yes, I've been formulating a--"

"That is unacceptable!" Despite her sincere tone, the nurse was smiling softly. "You get some sleep as soon as possible, mister."

"It will be possible once I have completed this formula." Spock informed her. Though his face was completely straight, something about his voice reflected satisfaction.

Christine turned to him suddenly, glancing down at the work table. "You found it?!" She exclaimed.

"I'm not sure," He said, slowly, carefully watching the dropper in his hands. "I believe I have discovered the correct mixture of chemicals, but I do not know if it will work."

Moments later, Dr. McCoy entered. "Well, you're up early." He commented to both of them. Normally, he was in sickbay before Christine, even when they worked the exact same shift.

"Spock stayed up all _night_." Nurse Chapel replied, staring down at him.

"You crazy Vulcan." McCoy mumbled, but didn't make any protests. He's learned long ago that telling Spock what to do was usually fruitless, especially in cases like this.

-----

"Your hair looks nice."

Samandak was surprised to hear Captain Kirk's voice in the turbolift. Obviously he'd noticed her casual wave of the dress code. But he was smirking, and she wondered just what he was thinking. He didn't seem angry or offended, just amused.

"Thank you." She stepped onto the lift, blushing a little. She verbally gave it her destination, and rode in comfort for a few moments.

"Spock doesn't hate you." Kirk said, out of the blue.

Samandak looked at him. "I know. He just doesn't like me."

"He has it tough," He shrugged. "The last time a psychologist was on board, she picked on him a lot."

"And he's Vulcan." She added. "It's hard to be in full control of your emotions when there's someone on board who's trying to pry into your mind."

Kirk nodded, and the doors slid open. He stepped out, but held the doors for a moment. "You know...he does understand that you're just doing your job. Just--"

"Take it easy on him, I know." She sighed. "He's better about it than most Vulcans...then again, most Vulcans know that..." She trailed off.

He nodded again, and smiled. "Good luck!" And he was gone.

Samandak sighed to herself as the doors slid shut again. She wondered how healthy it was to spend a whole year trying to figure different people out. That was about how long she'd been at her job...almost a year. Most people would have collapsed by this point, but her Vulcan blood gave her a boost in her stamina, and human pride mixed in with that wouldn't allow her to admit that she was becoming worn out. "You're going to be gray by the time you're forty, Samandak." She laughed to the empty turbolift.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**Thank you very much, CheetahLiv, for pointing out my word jumbling XD I knew that it wasn't right, but I couldn't figure out why...so big heaping thanks!! (:  
**


	3. Chapter 3

"Christine Chapel." Samandak's second interview that day was Nurse Chapel, and it had been a tedious chore to pull her away from her research with Commander Spock and Dr. McCoy. "What do you prefer to be called?"

"Christine will do." The nurse replied, calmly.

Samandak smiled. "Very well, Christine." There was no aura of uneasiness coming from her, and Samandak figured that she'd been through this process many a time. Although, there was a certain sadness about her. Not an immediate sorrow, just a lingering...something. She wasn't thinking about it at the moment, so it wasn't that overwhelming. But she was obviously eager to get back to her research...for more than just the research, and this fascinated the psychologist. "So..." She checked down her list; the most common ailments aboard had been insomnia, but that was understandable, anyone who spent this much time indoors in outer space would have trouble sleeping. These people _all _needed fresh air. "Have you had any issues getting to sleep at night?"

Right to the point, and Christine liked it. "No, not recently."

"Are you being medicated for insomnia?"

"I take sleeping pills on the bad nights, but that's rare."

"How is your personal relationship with the rest of the crew?" She found the soft spot. A wave of anxiety crossed the room, although Nurse Chapel's physical bearing didn't change.

"Very good," Christine replied, carefully.

"Do you have trouble communicating yourself to them?"

She took longer to think about this question. "Sometimes...but I would think that's normal!"

That was definitely a sensitive spot, and Samandak decided to let off a little. "It's completely normal, this is the standard."

But she'd already hit it off wrong, and throughout the rest of the session, she had a hard time getting anything but unsettledness and a little bit of unconscious resentment from the nurse.

-----

Spock had finally managed to round up a test subject for the serum. After checking with Dr. McCoy, they were seated in sickbay. Lieutenant Uhura had been complaining about the rash for some time, and she was the best candidate due to her young age and healthy immune system. Spock felt it was too bad that Nurse Chapel wouldn't be there for the testing of the serum, but at the same time he wanted to see if it would work in order to provide the most efficiency. If it didn't, he could at least take the readings and McCoy could help him make the adjustments before Christine got back.

"I'm ready for this to be gone!" Uhura exclaimed, rolling up her sleeve and revealing several inches of rough, discolored skin. It wasn't really obvious because of her dark coloration, but it was still quite visible.

"It should take effect immediately." McCoy told her, as Spock handed him a tub of the thick cream. "It may burn a bit, but if it starts to get bad tell me and we'll rinse it off." He swiped an alcohol pad across it, which made the raw flesh burn and Uhura cringed, but didn't say anything. She was a tough girl. Gloves on, Dr. McCoy stuck three fingers into the tub, and then rubbed the mixture carefully onto the rash.

A few moments passed, and nothing happened.

"It doesn't burn, but..." Uhura was quiet for a moment.

"But what?" McCoy took a reading of the infection.

"But it feels funny, and it itches."

McCoy put his tricorder down quickly. "That's because we're speeding along the infection." He guided her arm swiftly to the sink next to them, and turned the water on and started dabbing at it with a soft washrag.

Spock tried not to look crestfallen. "That remedy...did not work." He observed.

"Thank you, Spock." The doctor said, sarcastically.

-----

Lunch time. Finally! Samandak wanted to hit herself in the face when Nurse Chapel asked if she could leave yet, and a few pieces of the puzzle magically came together in her mind. She made her way to the mess hall, starving. Afterward she was going to take a few minutes to fill in some paperwork before she got back to work. Coming through the hallway, she bumped into the communications officer, who seemed in a big hurry to get wherever she was going. She stared after her for a moment; disappointment and annoyance emanated off of her. Samandak raised her eyebrows and continued on her way.

Once she reached the cafeteria, she found her lunch and sat down at a table by herself to think.

Christine hadn't wanted to leave work.

She was working with Dr. McCoy and Mr. Spock.

She was eager to get back to work.

She had reacted strongly when asked how she communicated.

Samandak didn't quite have it yet, but she knew she would figure it out. She always did. 'Thank you for my human intuition!' She thought to her grandfather, and began her meal, still pondering. After a few minutes, Lieutenant Kalry asked if he could join her, and Samandak said "Of course!" He was much more calm now, evidently whatever he'd been worried about earlier, it wasn't bothering him anymore. He seemed calmer during their session, too, though Samandak noticed a bad-looking rash peeking out of the neck of his shirt.

"So...how's life?" He asked, before taking a bite of his sandwich.

"Eh, y'know, so-so." She replied with a shrug. "Try doing my job for a living, then come and ask me again." She teased.

Kalry laughed. "Yeah, good point." He rubbed at the sore.

Samandak let a look of concern cross her face. "You alright?" She motioned to the red spot.

"Yeah..." He groaned. "It itches. Dr. McCoy says it's just some thing going around, probably via the laundry room. He says it's not dangerous, but man does it itch!"

She shuddered. "Ugh, doesn't look like fun."

"Yeah, it's not." He assured her.

-----

"Any luck?" Nurse Chapel re-entered sickbay, smoothing her hair carefully. She looked a little dismantled, but fine other than that.

"None." Spock told her. "Dr. McCoy has made the calculations, and we've begun on a new mixture already. Approximate time of completion is two hours."

Christine nodded, and skedaddled to the back to check on a crew member who'd been complaining of migraines. McCoy brushed by her carefully and rejoined Spock, handing him another small vial.

"Try this."

Spock took the bottle, glanced at it, and looked up at the doctor quizzically. "Rubbing alcohol?"

"Uhura said it burned, she might be on to something." McCoy pointed out.

Spock nodded, and inquired as to the quantity.

The doors slid open a few moments later, and Captain Kirk stood in the doorway looking a bit unhappy.

"Something wrong, Jim?" McCoy threw him a brief glance.

"I've got it now too," The captain came farther into the room, allowing the sickbay doors to close themselves behind him. "It's spreading fast, Bones."

"It's a completely harmless virus, I just can't figure where it came from!" McCoy said.

"You don't think it'll evolve into something worse?" Kirk asked, quietly.

"Not a chance."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**I apologize for the shortness of length, I had a bout of writer's block while writing this chapter, so it kind of hit a dead end. I assure you though, chapter 4 will have much more story and be much more to-the-point. As for now...ENJOY!**

**ALSO  
I haven't been putting proper disclaimers on my pages...I do this because this website is FANfiction, I would assume that we all know that nobody owns the characters in FANfics...that's why they're called FAN...fics.**

**Haha, okay, that's all XD  
**


	4. Chapter 4

It was night.

But Samandak couldn't sleep. She didn't know why, but she felt like if she slept she'd have horrible dreams. Maybe it was because they'd been plaguing her the past few weeks...not every night, but once every few nights. And it wouldn't even bother her that much, if she could just remember what they were about once she woke up! All she could remember in her waking hours was that fear, that sense of dread and terror.

The clock ticked on.

She _needed_ sleep. Three more crew members down, and she would be to Mr. Spock on the list. It wasn't really the sense of an impending, tedious task, but more like the knowledge that Captain Kirk expected something special for his first officer. Not 'special' like special treatment, but he wanted a more thorough job done. Something along those lines. Samandak lay down face-flat against her soft, square pillow. The fabric smelled of bleach and sterilizers, not sweet or fragrant like her bed back home.

Home.

She didn't realize until just then how much she missed it. She hadn't seen her family in a year, since she'd taken to space, she hadn't had a leave of any kind. Just work. Difficult, stressful work, that often involved annoying people, and people who were annoying and/or reluctant to cooperate.

Suddenly feeling unable to breathe, Samandak pulled her face out of her pillow and stood up, wearily. Maybe a hot bath would do the trick.

-----

"Mr. Spock, are you still here?!" The exasperated voice of Nurse Chapel came from the front doors of sickbay. The other test had also been unsuccessful, and Spock was still sitting at the table, attempting to adjust the formula.

"That is obvious, nurse." He replied, not removing his eyes from his work for a moment.

"You need sleep," She scolded.

"I am a Vulcan. I can go many days without--"

"Don't make me get Dr. McCoy." Christine was teasing, though her voice did hold a bit of a threat. Like when he was a child, and his mother would say 'do I have to fetch your father?'.

Spock shook his head and sat back. "That will be unnecessary, I was just finishing here."

"Good." The nurse smiled and approached him. "You've got that interview with Dr. Samandak tomorrow, you need your rest."

Spock looked up at her, like it was the first he'd heart of the subject. "Have I?"

Christine stared back at him, like she'd expected him to know this already. "Why...of course! Didn't you see the line up? There's two crewmen before you tomorrow, and so far she's gotten in five each day." She walked about the edge of the table and sat down across from Spock.

Spock raised both eyebrows. "Yes, she does seem to have quite a passion for her work."

"Now who else do I know like that?" Nurse Chapel smirked, leaning onto her elbows. "Come on now, what are you still doing here?"

"What are _you_ still doing here? Is your shift not over?" The first officer came back, smoothly.

"Ah," Christine wagged a finger at him. "But I went to sleep _last_ night. You've been up since the night before, and you look exhausted."

"Do I?" He stared back at her, blankly. "Well then, I suppose I should be turning in." He stood up and put a few things away, and others he moved to where they were in no danger of being knocked over. She stood up as well, looking triumphant.

"Good night, Nurse Chapel." Spock called, on his way out the door.

"G'night Spock!" Christine replied. "Sleep well, pleasant dreams!"

He bowed his head slightly, and the sickbay doors slid shut behind him.

-----

The next morning was nightmarish. Having not slept well the previous night, Samandak missed through the first cycle of her alarm clock and had to rush to get dressed and eat her breakfast. After that, she'd interviewed an ensign who was most reluctant to give her answers, and seemed only eager to return to his station. Following her second interview, she breaked for lunch and had found pleasurable company with Engineer Scott.

Back in her quarters, Samandak picked at a string on her guitar, and turned the tuner slightly. It had been a couple weeks since she last played, and the instrument was a bit out of tune. She spent a few minutes with nothing but the sound of music quietly flowing through her room. Samandak packed the guitar back up and straightened herself, then made her way out to find Spock. She knew she could simply page him...but she hadn't been on the ship long enough to feel quite comfortable using the intercom system. It was a strange aversion, of course, but an aversion none the less. She checked the bridge first, unsure of what his shifts were—but Ensign Chekov stood at the science station. The science lab was a dead end as well, and that left two obvious options; his personal quarters, or sickbay. Sickbay seemed the most likely, so she stepped into the turbo lift, ordered deck 5, and waited.

She had guessed correctly.

Commander Spock was seated alone at a table, looking deep in concentration.

The doors to the inner room slid open, and Dr. McCoy stepped out, along with a young, distressed-looking yeoman.

"You tell me if they get any worse," McCoy was saying. "And I'll give you something stronger."

"Thank you, doctor." She smiled at Samandak, and then left the room.

Samandak cleared her throat and bounced on her toes a bit, then smiled. "Mr. Spock?"

He seemed to notice, for the first time, that she was standing near him. "Dr. Samandak." He set his things down, gingerly. "Are you ready for me?"

"Yes." She clasped her hands behind her back, still smiling. "What are you working on?"

"There has been an unexplainable outbreak on board the ship," Spock explained. "It is nothing much to worry about, but it is quite bothersome. I was attempting to determine how to eliminate it."

"He's been in here for three days." McCoy stated, a hint of amusement lining his tone. "My head nurse had to order him to sleep last night."

Samandak raised her eyebrows. "Is that so? Well, I believe Lieutenant Kalry will be glad to know that you've been working so hard on this." The smile never faded from her face. "Are you ready, Mr. Spock?"

"Indeed." Spock nodded.

-----

"Commander Spock,"

Samandak and Spock were both seated in the psychologist's quarters, Samandak carrying that clipboard that she always seemed to have with her.

"What would you prefer to be called?" She asked.

"You may call me by my name." He assured her.

Samandak nodded to the side. "Spock?"

He nodded.

She took a deep breath. "Have you ever had a psych evaluation before, Spock?"

He stared at her for a long moment. "It is required of an officer of Starfleet to be psychologically evaluated on a regular basis, and before becoming a crew member to a ship." This was standard procedure...he couldn't understand why she would ask this of him.

"Of course, it's just a question." Samandak said. She scribbled something, and then looked back up at him. "Do you have trouble sleeping at night?"

"I do not," He responded, shortly. "However, if the instance should occur, I am inclined naturally to put myself into a state of meditation until my physical body is relaxed enough to allow repose." Perhaps he was saying too much, but it seemed to satisfy her.

"You know," She stopped consulting her clipboard for a moment. "I never understood the whole meditation thing. My father did it every night, but I could never achieve that...state of being."

Spock raised an eyebrow at her. "Perhaps your level of concentration was not sufficient."

Samandak sighed. "Perhaps." She glanced again at her paper. It was quite obvious that she wanted simply to hold a friendly conversation with him, but felt bound by duty to simply ask the standard questions and complete each interview. And Spock appreciated that; he did _not_ want to speak casually with someone who simply sought to read him.

"How would you say your relationship with the rest of the crew is?" She asked.

He was silent for a moment. He hadn't thought about that recently. Of course, he was always asked this question, but he never seemed to be able to recall exactly how he'd answered the previous time, despite his enhanced memory. Finally, he said "I believe my relationship with the crew members is how it should be between crew and commander."

Samandak narrowed her eyes at him for a split second, then wrote some more notes. Spock knew then that she could tell just by watching him how much he'd had to think about his answer, despite his quick reaction time.

"Do you communicate well with them?"

He raised a quizzical eyebrow, and Samandak laughed.

"An average amount, correct?" But the look of amusement faded from her face almost instantly. It reflected...almost sorrow, or fear. It was such a sudden change in mood that it nearly startled the first officer. He was used to strange fluctuations in human emotion, but Samandak's physical bearing resembled that of a Vulcan, and it was a strange sight to see her dismantled like that.

It was only momentary, however, and she was instantly composed. What she couldn't hide, though, was the amount of information her mind was processing. He wondered if some sort of telepathic flash, or strange emotional outbreak, or even something beyond that, had penetrated her mind at that moment.

Either way, his curiosity was piqued.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Sorry I took so long to update this chapter...I experienced a bit of a dead end in the story (the story in my brain, that is) and it took me a couple of days to find my ground. Anyway, it's here now, enjoy! (:  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**Quick Author's Note: Sorry if there's spelling errors or grammar mistakes, I haven't proofread yet, so...excuse errors please!**

**

* * *

**She wasn't sure what it was exactly, but Samandak felt a distinct wave of emotion and contemplation come off of Commander Spock when she asked that last question. It was so strong that it hurt, and she had to slam down her mental barriers to protect her mind. Even though she'd mostly pulled herself back together, her heart throbbed from the residual tinge of fear at the core of her nervous system. That had been completely unexpected, and she couldn't help but wonder what had caused it. This careful, composed, intelligent..._Vulcan_, to emit such a field of feeling.

He was obviously reading her too, and she blinked a few times, trying to hide the gears turning in her mind. "Um," She glanced at her clipboard, trying to remember the next question. "Do you enjoy your job?"

"Yes, I find it enjoyable." Spock said, not removing his piercing brown eyes from her face. Now it was Samandak who felt fidgety. She closed her eyes and took another deep breath, gathered her thoughts, and concentrated.

"I understand that you had a brief moment of blindness about two years back." She realized that she was improvising, and wanted to slap herself for not sticking to her plan. She'd written out a volley of questions specifically for this individual, and here she was waving her own rules.

"Indeed," Spock replied, carefully. "It lasted only a few hours, and I experienced no problems, though I admit an impending sense of dread upon first discovering the news."

"You must have been relieved when your sight came back." She mused.

He nodded briefly, and Samandak sensed that he wanted to move past the subject. She began again on the next question. "What about your parents?"

"What about my parents?" He stared at her, not fazed by the question. Good.

"Would you say that you have a good relationship with them?"

He had to think about this one, too. "My father did not approve of my joining Starfleet. However, we have had our disagreements and recovered."

"Yeah?" Samandak hugged her clipboard to her chest. "Traditional Vulcan?"

Spock nodded. "As am I."

She pointed her pencil at him. "Ah, but you joined the 'fleet. That shows that you're capable of individual thought."

"All--"

"I don't mean it like that," She said, quickly. "I mean it was an original idea. How many other Vulcans are in Starfleet?"

He crossed his arms, looking at her somewhat sideways. "Not any others that I know of."

"See," She smiled. "I'll bet that in the next ten-or-so years, because of your example, it will become a regular thing!"

A look crossed Spock's face that suggested not many Vulcans really took after him, but Samandak was hopeful. She knew just as much about Vulcan psychology as she did Human.

-----

Spock re-entered sickbay feeling much less apprehensive about Dr. Samandak. She had proven herself to be genuinely interested in the well-being of the Enterprise and her personnel, much less than wanting to get into his head. She'd spoken respectfully to him, dropped subjects that he did not wish to discuss, and kept topics purely professional. Well...mostly professional. She'd asked a few too many questions about his friends...but perhaps that was as a lonely young girl, not as a psychologist. Either way, he didn't feel the same restraint toward her that he had when she'd first stepped on to the ship.

"Mr. Spock!" Christine looked lively, and she was smiling brightly. He figured she must have figured something out.

"I think we've got it," Dr. McCoy said, coming up behind Nurse Chapel.

"A cure?" Spock asked, lifting an eyebrow quizzically.

"I _think._" McCoy repeated, but he looked hopeful. "We just need someone to test it out on."

Nobody had noticed Lieutenant Kalry enter the room, and he'd overheard most of the conversation. "You mean you've got something for this rash?!" He asked.

"We're hoping so. We won't know until we try it." McCoy explained.

"I'm game!" Kalry said. "This thing's gonna spread to my face sooner or later." He'd also been among the first to be affected by the virus.

"You sure?" Chapel asked.

"Oh yeah!" The lieutenant nodded enthusiastically.

A few minutes later, seated inside the inner chamber of sickbay, Kalry had removed his shirt and was anxiously fidgeting. McCoy repeated the information he'd given to Uhura the previous day, and then rubbed the thin cream onto the inside of his upper arm. A few minutes passed with no reaction.

"You think that means it's working?" Kalry asked, hopefully.

McCoy took another reading. "It doesn't seem to be having any effect."

In moments, however, an 'effect' did occur...though not the one they'd been hoping for. Kalry's flesh burst into a small series of flames. He didn't even notice at first, until McCoy hastily ran his arm under lukewarm water, extinguishing the fire.

Spock raised both eyebrows. "A chemical reaction caused by the blemish, perhaps?"

"I don't know," The doctor replied, staring in shock. "You don't look too burned, but let me patch you up anyway." He left for a few things.

Christine pursed her lips in defeat. "I was so sure!"

Spock acknowledged her with a slight nod of his head.

-----

There was a buzz at Samandak's door, that she hardly even noticed. "Come." She said, softly.

The doors slid open, and she sensed the presence of Captain Kirk. "I'm sorry," He said. "Was I interrupting something?"

Samandak opened her eyes and folded her hands in her lap. "No, not really." She sighed. "I was attempting to put myself in a state of meditation. It wasn't going so well." She uncrossed her legs and stood up off the floor. "What's on your mind, captain?"

Kirk shrugged casually. "Just making sure that you're...comfortable. I know your job isn't easy."

"Thank you for your concern." She began pulling her papers off of her bed and stacking them on her night desk. "Though your crew has been a welcome break. I would also like to thank you for having things so well organized for me, it makes my job much easier."

Pride in his ship and crew and workmanship emanated off of the captain, and it made Samandak smile bigger.

"We're all taking lunch," He began. "If you'd like to join us..."

"I would love to, captain, but I was about to find Ensign Alejandro." She told him, with much regret.

"I see." Kirk's spirits didn't fall much, he obviously enjoyed the uninterrupted company of his close friends. "Then I will see you--"

"In three days." She smiled. "That is, eliminating the chance of meeting in the passageways or the mess hall."

"Oh."

"But thank you again, Captain Kirk."

-----

"What's that you're reading, Scotty?" Uhura's gentle voice drifted over the table.

Scott smiled up at her from his digital something-or-other. "Poetry." He said, simply. "Emerald McCarthy. She has a gift." His eyes turned back to the text.

Uhura laughed. "She must, you've been buried in that all day!"

"All _week_." McCoy corrected, coming up behind the distracted engineer. "Mind if I join you?"

"Of course, Dr. McCoy." Uhura said, smiling.

The doctor nodded his thanks, set his tray on the table, and pulled up a chair.

"There's somethin' familiar about the way she writes this," Scott still seemed completely distracted.

McCoy glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. "Maybe b'cause you've been stalking her."

The engineer looked up quizzically, as if he didn't quite understand Dr. McCoy's statement. Though he _had_ been reading the same author's work for several months now.

Spock, who had been sitting and quietly observing, excused himself in the same silent manner, and made his way back up to the bridge for his shift.


	6. Chapter 6

It was the next day.

Samandak was interviewing a young yeoman by the name of Mykel McShilia...she was an interesting character, to be sure, and might need a bit of therapy. But she seemed mostly reasonable. Mostly. Aside from a bit of a dislike for Lieutenant Sulu (actually, quite a strong one) she didn't seem to be a danger to the crew or the ship.

A bit later, she took another walk down to sickbay...where Dr. McCoy, Nurse Chapel, and Commander Spock really didn't seem to be having much luck in the progress of their "magic cure". She took a lunch break, followed up by a couple more interviews, and decided to take the rest of the day off. She'd covered a lot of ground in the first few days, and she felt like she was making swift progress.

"Dr. Samandak!"

Samandak stopped short in the hallway, hearing her name being called by the captain.

"Captain Kirk!"

"Jim will do just fine."

She smiled. "Yes."

"Would you--"

"Yes."

Kirk looked at her for a moment. "You don't even know what I was going to ask."

"You were about to ask me to join you for supper. And my answer is yes!" She looked back at him, unblinking.

"No duties, no work, no papers...?"

"Nope!"

He smiled as well. "Alrighty then!"

-----

Mr. Spock approached Nurse Chapel, who was bent over a tricorder and some odd mixture of something-or-other.

"Any progress?" He inquired.

Christine had to smile. Anyone else would have asked 'any luck?' but not Spock. Much as he'd taken to human colloquialisms, he still refrained from referring to luck or chance circumstance. Unless of course, it was a random course of circumstances operating in their favor...but of course, that was another matter entirely.

"I'm not sure," Chapel told him. "It looks like I just hit another dead end, though."

Spock raised an eyebrow, and took a seat next to the perplexed nurse. "Never before," He mused. "Has this sickbay had such difficulty in isolating a cause and cure."

"I know, it's so frustrating!" She agreed.

"How's the experiment going?" Lieutenant Kalry approached the pair, his bandages from the previous day bulging beneath his yellow Starfleet uniform.

"Not good." Spock said, shortly.

"The problem is that we can't figure out what's causing it!" Nurse Chapel exclaimed. "How can you stop a cause when you don't know what it is?"

"Well, I hope you find something soon!" Kalry replied. A pleading look had played out across his face. "I don't know how much longer I can take this!"

"We are doing our best, Lieutenant." Spock assured him.

Kalry nodded, and headed back toward the door. "Good luck!"

Spock looked back to Christine. "I do not believe that 'luck' has anything to do with it."

She laughed.

-----

After a delightful meal with Captain Kirk and Ensign Chekov, Samandak was again alone in her quarters. She'd hopped through the shower, and now felt fresh in her soft, casual clothes. She left the bathroom door open so that the sweet scent of peppermint could flow through the room. It, with the lights off and candles flickering about, made for a very relaxing atmosphere. She'd been shocked that she could find both peppermint oil and candles in the ship's store, and was once again grateful for the organization of this ship.

Samandak was the floor again, legs crossed, fingers steepled tightly in front of her face, attempting once again to meditate successfully. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then tried to clear her mind completely.

But she couldn't.

Thoughts kept plaguing her...schedules, duties, all those _papers_ that still needed filling out...

She gave up. "Computer, lights on dim." She said, then flipped her guitar case open and pulled out the beautiful wooden instrument. Her father had given it to her when she was very young, rather than the Vulcan lyre that he'd played for so long. It had been the most wonderful gift ever, and Samandak made it a goal to become very learned. Of course, after she'd started attending school on Earth it became very difficult to dedicate time to her musical abilities, but she found time, and was now able to play. She wasn't amazing, but she could play a few tunes.

-----

"Well, I—where's Mr. Spock?" Kirk inquired.

"He went to visit Dr. Samandak." McCoy informed the captain, distractedly.

Kirk raised his eyebrows. "He did?" The news both confused him and made him glad.

"He wanted to ask her about something, I dunno." The doctor was obviously distracted, scrutinizing Christine's actions. Kirk shook his head. Only McCoy could stand over someone and watch them do something that they were perfectly capable of doing alone, while he had unfinished work in the next room over.

"So doctor," Captain Kirk stepped forward to join McCoy in staring at Christine's work. "Am I gonna be rash-free any time soon?"

"You're making me nervous." Chapel teased, looking up at the two men looming over her.

"Good question," McCoy said, smiling down at his head nurse, and then giving her some space. "What's the verdict, Christine?"

"I don't know either doctor." She replied. "We sure could use a hint."

"You say it's harmless Bones," Kirk looked up at him. "But if it continues to spread, and doesn't go away on it's own eventually..."

McCoy shrugged. "My guess—my _educated_ guess," He corrected. "Is that it _does_ go away eventually, just like any blemish. But I don't think it goes away _permanently_."

"Are you telling me I could be a walking acne cream commercial for the rest of my life?"

"Don't be so pessimistic, Jim!" McCoy waved at him with the back of his hand. "It's just a guess."

"You just say that because it hasn't affected you yet," Kirk said, narrowing his eyes and scratching at his infected shoulder through his shirt. "Keep me updated, Bones."

"Of course Jim."

The captain patted his head surgeon on the back, and then left again for the bridge.

-----

Spock hit a small button outside of Dr. Samandak's quarters. The doors opened to her voice command, to reveal her sitting in a chair on the opposite side of the room, holding an antique musical instrument and strumming it gently. She was singing, apparently to herself. Her voice wasn't exactly beautiful, or something that could put a person to sleep, but it wasn't awful. She stayed in tune and followed the music, creating a simple yet pleasant harmony. A mild, minty scent wafted out through the open doors. Samandak stopped singing, but continued playing, and that crafty smile returned to her lips.

"Mr. Spock, come in!" She invited warmly.

He nodded politely and stepped inside, then waited for the doors to close. "Dr. Samandak, I came to ask you if you needed assistance with anything."

"Oh," She giggled. "Thank you, but wouldn't you rather leave that to some poor defenseless yeoman who gets stuck sitting at my desk helping me review my papers?"

"I would not subject any member of the crew to such a tedious task." Spock assured her, and she might have taken that for a joke if she didn't know any better.

"I see. Well, I don't need help, but I am desperate for company, would you sit with me for a while?"

He didn't have any pressing matters upstairs, and his shift was not for another hour, so it couldn't hurt. "Of course."

Her smile grew. "There's a chair right over there," She nodded toward a corner. "Or you can sit on the bed if you want."

For no logical reason, Spock didn't feel quite comfortable sitting on her bed, so he pulled the chair out of the corner of the room and pulled it up. For a few minutes, nothing but the soft sound of guitar music passed between them, until Samandak said, "Do you enjoy music, Spock?"

"I do. I am in possession of a lyre which I play on occasion with Lieutenant Uhura."

"Do you sing?"

"I prefer not to, but the lieutenant does. She has quite an exceptional talent." He sat, unmoving. He was still trying to make the image of that Vulcan face smiling over at him make sense.

"I was never an amazing singer," Samandak sighed. "My father was, though." She smirked. "I bet you _can_ sing."

"Anyone can sing, doctor."

She pursed her lips. "Everyone keeps calling me 'doctor'. I am not a doctor, I am a psychologist."

"You are a doctor of psychology." He pointed out.

-----

Samandak had spent many years on Vulcan with her grandparents. She'd been subject to many scrutinizing stares, much cold, stony logic, and too many upturned noses to count.

But never in her life had she seen a stare as intense as that of the first officer of the Enterprise. His deep brown eyes were almost frightening. They carried so much thought, so much intelligence...so much _soul!_ She wondered briefly what he must think of her. She was so peculiar, unusual, especially for someone who bore such resemblance to him and people from his father's planet.

She sighed, suddenly feeling extremely exhausted and lonely. "You know..." The guitar music grew quieter. "I have a hard time when I come on to these ships. It normally takes months to adjust, for the crew to believe that I am not there to put them under a microscope." She stared past Spock at the wall. "But here, I feel...I don't know. It's different. The captain is kind...the first officer is," She glanced at him. "Well, not human!"

"That is true." She could tell that he was trying to figure where she was going with this.

"I'm just saying it's a welcome break."

He raised his right eyebrow at her, quizzically.

"Thought you should know."

"Perhaps." Spock was quiet again for a few moments. "Captain Kirk went to great lengths to insure your comfort on his ship. He followed your footsteps on the Traveler, and then made sure that the ship's store was specially stocked for you."

She raised her pointed eyebrows both in surprise. "He did all that...for me?"

Spock nodded.

Samandak's mind instantly floated back to the lingering smell of mint in the air. She suddenly felt extremely grateful to the captain—more so even than she had been before.

"He asked me not to tell you, either." Spock said, not breaking his gaze.

"He—well...in that case, we shall pretend that you did not." Samandak nodded at him in satisfaction, as if they'd just signed off on a big deal.

"Indeed."

* * *

**Hah, I thought this was the longest chapter...turns out chappie 2 is the longest XD ENJOY ANYWAY!!! (:**


	7. Chapter 7

"Montgomery Scott?"

"Aye!"

Seated comfortably across from Engineer Scott, it wasn't really an awkward situation at all. Samandak and him had been interacting since she first came on board the Enterprise...he was an easy man to be friends with!

"What would you like to be called?"

"Well, some prefer Scotty." He told her, smiling.

She smiled as well. "Scotty...it suits you just well. Very well, _Scotty._" The interview continued just as they had for the past few days...standard questions, a little bit of friendly chat, then he would leave and send in the next person. Or she would page the next person...however that worked out.

Once he'd left and she was waiting for her next interview with another one of the nurses, Samandak sat reviewing Mr. Spock's and Christine Chapel's files, trying to figure out how they connected. She wasn't sure why she would even assume that...she just had a feeling, and with her heritage, a simple 'feeling' could actually be very accurate. She'd learned quite some time ago not to ignore things like that.

There was a buzz that signaled her next appointment, and Samandak said, "Come!"

The doors to her quarters slid open, and a middle-aged woman stepped through into the room. "Dr. Samandak?"

Samandak stood up and smiled. "Ah, Nurse Harrowman. Come on in and get comfortable!"

-----

"Still nothing." McCoy said, before Spock even had the chance to ask.

"That is disappointing." Spock said. "I would very much like to be of further assistance, but I believe my presence is needed on the bridge."

"Trouble?" Nurse Chapel asked, looking up from her work wearing a worried expression.

"Hopefully not," Spock said, glancing from McCoy to her. "There is a Klingon vessel in the vicinity. We do not know yet whether their mission is peaceful or...not."

"Well then," Dr. McCoy said, raising an eyebrow at the first officer. "You'd better hop to it."

"I shall," Spock agreed, ignoring McCoy's peculiar choice of words. "But first, I wanted to deliver this." He set a small, green vial down on the table at which Christine was seated. "It had not occurred to me, but a junior officer asked if it would be of assistance."

Chapel looked at the bottle, then up at Dr. McCoy.

He walked up and glanced at the label. "Maybe, Spock, but that's a big jump."

Spock nodded in acceptance. "I will return to check on the status of the project when the Klingons are dealt with." He told them. Then, he turned on his heel, and was gone.

Christine stared at the door for a few minutes, only to hear McCoy chuckle. "That Spock..."

She turned to face him. "What about him?"

"Sometimes I just can't understand him." Upon seeing the expression on her face, it took a lot to contain his laughter. "Don't worry Christine, that's not an insult to your dear Vulcan."

She reddened. "Of course, doctor." She turned back to her work.

-----

Samandak had eaten a satisfying lunch, and was once again seated in her quarters, going over paperwork. She didn't intend to let things fall out of control this time as she had on the Traveler—no sir! As much of a pain as it was to keep her papers updated, it was far worse to have to do hours and hours of slow work that involved sitting still and doing the same thing, over and over. After that, she planned on journaling...if her next interview gave her the time.

Her mind was still swimming with questions, but she figured she would have to wonder and wait, and see if anyone came out with the answers themselves. She found that was always the best way to gain answers...waiting patiently. People tended to be much more open if they started it, and were always grateful if she asked questions. _After_ they brought it up.

-----

"Where is Nurse Chapel?" Spock inquired upon entering sickbay.

"Sleeping, like she should be." McCoy replied, hotly.

"I see. Have you had any success?"

"No, but I've got the damn thing now too." He straightened, and it became obvious to Spock that the doctor had a sore, itchy spot somewhere in the middle of his back.

"Fascinating," Spock said, approaching the table and looking over Christine's work. "It seems to be spreading by touch."

"How's that possible?" McCoy asked, tossing the first officer his patented quizzical stare. "I haven't touched that stuff without gloves, and certainly not with my back!"

Spock stepped back from the table, crossing his arms over his chest. "If you were reading Nurse Chapel's reports, you would know that she has concluded that the virus spreads to the entire body over a period of approximately two days, and can be spread by anything as simple as exchanging a tablet such as this." He held up the small electronic pad in his hand.

"Or by washing your clothes in the same load." The doctor observed, nodding. "That would explain why it's spreading the way it is." He glanced up at Spock, and then shook his head as if to clear it. "How's the Klingon situation upstairs?"

"Their ship is not answering our hails," Spock replied, casually. "But they do not demonstrate hostile intentions either. It is our belief that they are simply passing, and happen to be traveling the same course as us for the time being."

"Then why aren't they answering?"

"I do not know. But I wouldn't worry too much, doctor. If you are capable of such a thing." It was Spock's own subtle way of being snarky. He wasn't sure why he enjoyed picking on Dr. McCoy, it wasn't logical, but it did seem to be in his nature. Why argue with nature?

McCoy glared momentarily, deciding whether or not he was offended by the comment, and then turned back to his work. "There's some more test results right here," He nodded toward a small yellow disc. "They weren't finished before Christine headed out, but they're ready now."

Spock nodded, taking the hint; Dr. McCoy wished him to take the results to Nurse Chapel. He picked up the disc and headed out into the corridor, toward the turbo lift.

He arrived at the nurse's quarters in minutes, to find her doors unlocked. For a human, she displayed great trust and security among others of her kind. She rarely locked her doors, and he _had_ noticed. They slid open, and Spock stepped inside; Christine was laying on her back in bed, her eyes closed, her chest moving slowly and steadily, drawing easy breath which indicated that she was asleep.

Suddenly feeling uncomfortable for no real reason, Spock quickly but silently walked up to her nightstand and lay the disc down. He knew his next steps should be toward the door...but he couldn't help but notice how peaceful Christine looked. She was still in her uniform, she must have been too tired to change. All lines of worry and work had faded from her face, and she almost looked like she was smiling. Spock stepped toward her cautiously, overcome with the unusual urge to touch her.

She was sleeping, she wouldn't mind at all...right? He watched her for a few more moments, painfully aware that if she awakened at that moment she might be frightened senseless. But she remained peacefully asleep. Gingerly, he reached out and stroked her hair. It felt soft, loose around her face and shoulders. He turned to leave, aware of how silly he was being. Four steps toward the door, however, she stirred.

"Mm...Spock?"

He paused and turned back to face her, his blood rushing to his cheeks. He had to use all of his willpower to make the blush go back down, he knew it wasn't logical; if he hadn't put his hand on her, if he'd just come in and set the information down, he wouldn't feel awkward with speaking to her.

So he used that. "Nurse Chapel." He made himself take a step toward her. "Dr. McCoy requested that I deliver the most recent test results to you."

"Oh?" She sat up and took the disc off of the small stand. "Thank you, Spock." She paused. "Was someone else in here?"

"Only myself."

"That's weird." She put a hand up to her cheek, tiredly. "I thought someone touched me."

He flushed a pale shade of green again, and shook his head. "Most likely it was a dream. I must leave now, McCoy asked that I return quickly." Without waiting for her response, he turned around and left the room. He'd hardly stepped back out, however, when he sensed the presence of Dr. Samandak. In human terms, he might have asked himself if he could 'get a break'.

"Mr. Spock!" She called.

And he was obviously being sought out. He turned around again, becoming a bit dizzy with the constant turning about. "Dr. Samandak. Can I help you?"

She was breathing heavily, like she'd just been running. "Yes, actually! I was just looking for you...and Nurse Chapel. Do you know where she is?"

"I'm right here!" Her doors had slid back open. She was composed once again, her hair piled neatly atop her head and her makeup magically fixed. It was the first time Spock realized that Samandak was wearing nothing on her face but that big, ridiculous smile.

"Great!" Samandak bounced a bit, in a manner which made the first officer think of Dr. McCoy. "I wanted to talk to you two, if this isn't a bad--"

Her words were cut off by what looked like a transporter beam, and it took a few moments for Spock to realize that both him and Nurse Chapel were also locked in on, as the room slowly dissolved around them. It was replaced with a darker image, the image of...

Oh, wonderful.

A Klingon transporter room appeared slowly around them, and there were several sets of weapons pointed at the trio.

Samandak was gaping, eyebrows raised, and Christine looked even more shocked.

"Don't move!" A gruff voice from across the room called, and the three followed orders without question. What _now?_

_

* * *

_**Author's Note: I want to take a quick moment to thank everyone for the reviews and story alert additions, I honestly didn't expect anyone to read this thing, let alone actually enjoy it! Anyway, here's where the real story starts, heehee. Enjoy!**


	8. Chapter 8

Spock, Nurse Chapel, and Dr. Samandak had all been placed inside of a small holding cell. They'd inquired repeatedly as to the nature of their capture, but the Klingons seemed to be in a big hurry...made evident by their carelessness, placing three intelligent Starfleet officers in one cell together. Well...two Starfleet officers, and one civilian under the 'fleet's command and protection. Spock was examining the bars, careful not to touch them after having received a painful shock to his hand. Samandak had seated herself up against a wall, and had her eyes closed. She was thinking hard, contemplating how to break out and alert the Enterprise to their situation. While she was sure Captain Kirk was aware that they were missing, he didn't have any way of knowing where or why they were gone. She didn't even know _why_ they were here, only that they were, and they needed to first get out, and then to contact the Enterprise.

"I can not find any weaknesses." Spock informed them. "These cells were built extremely well, we will have to get out when a guard is present to unlock the door."

"Any ideas?" Samandak asked, in a tone laced with boredom as a mask to her fear.

Spock was silent for a moment. "Not yet," He said. "But I'm sure we'll think of something."

She nodded, then glanced over at Chapel. It was obvious that she wasn't used to scary situations, though she was doing a very good job of staying calm and still.

"Are you okay?" Samandak asked, gently.

Christine nodded, then closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"You know, we're not sure that they mean us any harm." Samandak tried. She wasn't sure of anything, but she certainly didn't want anyone in this cell frightened.

"I know." Christine said softly. Her voice was shaky. "This is just...my first time on a Klingon ship."

Samandak knew how that was. Her mother, Luna, was an ambassador, her Betazoid and Empath blood making it very easy for her to communicate, and she'd taken Samandak on several missions aboard Klingon vessels. It was always scary, even on peace missions, and this was far from a peace mission, as evidenced by the electrical current trapping them behind bars.

-----

Captain Kirk was shocked to see, upon entering the bridge, that Ensign Chekov was at the science station rather than Mr. Spock. He was sure that it was Spock's shift.

"Chekov?" He walked past Uhura and approached the ensign. "Where's Spock?"

"He did not report," Chekov said casually, looking up at the captain. "So I stayed."

"Good," Kirk nodded his approval. "I'm going to check sickbay, he's had his nose a bit buried for the past few days." He left the bridge and entered the lift. Even when he was deeply absorbed in a project, it wasn't like his first officer to forget his shift. The turbo lift stopped and the doors opened, and Kirk took a few big paces down to sickbay.

"Have you seen Spock?" He asked, upon spotting Dr. McCoy.

"I haven't," McCoy replied. "Not since I sent him to give the test results to Christine. Why?"

"He hasn't reported for duty." Kirk told him. "And his shift was supposed to start twenty minutes ago. He's never late."

"I haven't seen Nurse Chapel, either." McCoy said. "You think something happened?"

"I don't know," Kirk glanced around the room, as if expecting them to jump out and try to scare him at any second. "Keep me posted, tell me if you find either one of them."

"Will do."

"Thanks Bones." He left sickbay and headed back toward the bridge. It struck him as odd...two of the most workaholic people he'd ever known, neither of them where they were supposed to be when they were supposed to be there.

"Captain!" Mr. Scott intercepted him before he could enter the turbo lift.

"What is it, Scotty?"

Scott looked proud. "I just figured somethin' out that's been botherin' me for some time." He handed the captain a tablet. "I was tellin' you how that lass sounded familiar, remember? So I looked through some logs a' hers, and I got it."

"Scotty, could you get to the point?" Kirk asked with a laugh.

"Aye! Dr. Samandak is Emerald McCarthy."

Captain Kirk stared at him for a moment. "From what do you draw that conclusion?"

"Her handwritin'! It matches the signature perfectly, look!" He gestured toward the tablet.

On the screen was Emerald McCarthy's signature, and next to it, some thrown-together letters from a few of Dr. Samandak's handwritten logs and entries. They matched almost exactly, even with the sloppy patchwork.

Kirk raised his eyebrows. "What made you look into this?"

"I noticed that she had the same grandparents...one from Vulcan, one from Earth, one from the Empath Planet in Maneria, and one from Betazed." He nodded, with his hands behind his back, smiling. Scotty and his obsession...

"Thank you...Mr. Scott." The captain said, tilting his head to the side just a tad bit.

"Aye." Scott was still smiling, and he walked off again, leaving Kirk with the tablet.

-----

The group of three was still sitting in a crowded cell in the Klingon ship, a battle cruiser, they'd deduced. Spock couldn't help but wonder if they were still on course with the Enterprise. Were they meant to be hostages, or vessels of information? He didn't dare share his thoughts with the women, however; they were worried enough.

A guard came around the corner. "The captain will see you." He said. Two more guards followed him, aiming their peculiar weapons straight at Spock and Samandak. They must not have seen Christine as a threat, or at least not as much of a threat as the fit young psychologist and the first officer. The first guard unlocked the door, and Samandak stood up, holding onto Christine's arm gently. The nurse looked much more shaken than she had the first hour they'd been on board; it didn't bode well. They were led through a set of dimly-lit hallways, furnished with a sour smell and peculiar sounds, to the captain's quarters.

"The prisoners." One of the men said, and the doors slid shut behind them.

A Klingon about the age of Spock's father stood up across the room, and nodded to his guards. "Bring them."

Spock felt the dangerous end of a phaser pressed into his back, telling him to step forward.

"This is the doctor from the Enterprise?" The captain eyed Spock curiously.

"We couldn't tell, captain." One of them admitted. "There were two Vulcan life signs aboard. One of them is the first officer, the other one is the psychologist."

"And the human?"

"A technical error, sir."

"I see." He examined them, walked a small circle, tried to intimidate them, really. "Which one of you is Dr. Samandak?"

"I am." Samandak said, without hesitation. Spock glanced over at her, surprised to see that all trace of emotion had faded completely from her face. She resembled any other Vulcan woman; her dark brown eyes blankly staring ahead, seeming cold enough to freeze the room over.

"Indeed. And this is First Officer Spock?" The captain approached Spock, looking him over as well.

"I am." Spock told him, also reflecting a stone figure.

"Who is this one?" The Klingon turned to Nurse Chapel with a glint in his eye that, for whatever reason, Spock found he did not like in the least.

"Christine Chapel, head nurse." She said, bravely.

"Well well," He turned to another of the guards. "You may have made a mistake, Tatell, but it has served us well." He looked back at the trio. "I take it you are three very important persons, no?"

When they didn't answer, he chuckled eerily. "Tatell, we are still following the Enterprise?"

"Yes, Captain."

"Good." He put his hand on Christine's chin. She didn't flinch. "We've just picked up three exceptional bargaining chips. Hail the Enterprise."

-----

"What are you talking about, Bones?"

"I mean I've looked everywhere, Jim! All three of 'em are gone."

Dr. McCoy had just reported to the captain with bad news; Commander Spock, Nurse Chapel, and Dr. Samandak were all missing. They didn't answer on the intercom, and nobody had seen them for hours.

"You think it could have anything to do with our Klingon shadow?" Kirk wondered aloud, looking worriedly over the bridge. Another officer had relieved Chekov not too long ago, and the Russian had gone off to his quarters to get some much deserved sleep.

"It's possible," McCoy replied. "Should we—"

"Captain," Uhura interrupted, a hand to her ear. "We're being hailed by the Klingon ship. Would you like me to patch it through?"

"Put it on the screen." Kirk nodded, standing up.

The image of a Klingon captain appeared on the viewer, and he wasted no time. "Captain Kirk, of the Starship Enterprise. Am I correct?"

"Indeed you are." The captain nodded. He crossed his arms. "What can I do for you...?"

"I am Captain Torak. I have three of your people on board my ship."

Kirk startled, but quickly recomposed himself. "I take it you want something?"

"Yes. Your unconditional surrender."

"I'm...afraid we can't do that."

"You will change your mind, Captain _Kirk_." He spat the name. "You have thirty minutes to consider what I have just said, before we take action against your people."

The viewer went black. Kirk stared for several moments in astonishment. How could this happen? They'd only been out for a casual cruise...and the Klingons weren't generally this hostile!

He turned to Dr. McCoy, who was wearing an expression of dread. "My head nurse is on that ship, Jim."

"I know Bones, I know. We just need to stall for time."

McCoy leaned onto the armrest of Kirk's chair. "What did he mean 'take action against', Jim? Is he going to be killing them over there?"

"I doubt it." Kirk said, confidently. "They need them as hostages. They might get hurt, though. We have about twenty-eight minutes to figure out what to do about it. Lieutenant Uhura, update Mr. Scott on our situation, also anyone else you think might be of help."

"Yes sir." Uhura got to work immediately.

"Bones, I want you to get a medical team ready. I don't know what's going to happen, but we should be prepared anyway."

"Of course Jim." McCoy made his way quickly off of the bridge, already giving himself a set of instructions.

"Lieutenant Sulu,"

"Yes captain?"

Kirk took a deep breath. "Shields at one-hundred percent, prepare for evasive maneuvers."

* * *

**Haha, my sister "pre-viewed" this one for me, even though we didn't change anything (although she might have been tempted to change a few "v"s to "w"s, I haven't proof-read since...) Anyway, enjoy, chapter nine is on it's way soon! C: (haha, I like that smiley...)**


	9. Chapter 9

That rough hand was back on Samandak's arm. She was growing quite tired of this treatment.

"When we call your captain again," Torak said, sharply. "I want you to beg for him to surrender his ship."

"I will not." She replied flatly. It was taking all of her self control not to haul off and punch this man who called himself a captain, and even more of some hidden willpower to remain cool and collected. She could see that Spock was having an easier time with it, he must be more used to these situations. Well, good for him, she thought.

She had to catch herself.

Why was she thinking like that? It must have been all the hostility in the room. Every Klingon on this entire ship was emanating hate and malice, and it occurred to her that that may have been what was causing her nightmares the previous few nights.

No no, she'd been having those nightmares for weeks!

Unless...

A creepy feeling invaded Samandak's mind, and she shook it off. Their best hope at that moment was that Captain Kirk had a good plan.

"Then you," Torak snaked over to Spock. "Tell your captain to surrender."

"I will not, either." Spock carried the same flat tone, and it was obviously working onto the captain's nerves. In one swift movement, he struck the first officer with the back of his hand. Christine flinched visibly, but Spock hardly seemed affected, even as a green welt began to form on his cheek.

Samandak's anger only boiled up more, giving her more root not to give this man what he wanted.

"Then we will do things my way." Torak looked over at his helmsman—or, woman, in this case. "How much time, Karakul?"

"Three minutes, sir."

"Good. You three, up here." He shoved Christine toward about where the communications camera would hit, and Samandak and Spock automatically followed, both overwhelmed with the instinct to protect their shipmate. "Listen to me," He lowered his voice, taking on a threatening tone. "When the communication begins, very unpleasant things are going to happen unless my requests are met."

"I'm beginning to think you are bluffing." Samandak informed him, crossing her arms. She was tired of playing unemotional, she wanted him to know the extent of her anger. Which, all things considered, was actually quite mild. Taking after her grandmother on her father's side, her emotions could reach intensely dangerous levels.

It was her who was struck next, followed by an irritated "Silence!" She had half the self-control as Spock, and couldn't hold back a healthy glare.

"Captain, it's time for the next transmission."

Torak straightened and turned about to face the monitor. In a few more moments, the image of Captain Kirk appeared; it was a welcome sight.

"Ah, Captain Kirk. Have you considered my offer?"

Completely ignoring the Klingon, Kirk leaned forward and looked past him at the three members of his crew. "Spock, are you all alright?"

"We are fine, captain." Spock replied. Samandak envied his ability to remain absolutely calm, even mask his emotions to the point of absolutely undetectable.

"Captain Kirk, my patience wears thin!" Torak cut in, stepping in front of Spock in an irritated fashion.

"We can see that." McCoy was back there too, with the appearance of backing up the captain. Samandak was sure, however, that he was merely checking in on Christine, making sure his head nurse was unharmed.

Kirk crossed his arms, obviously having the same feelings about the situation as Samandak; what if he was bluffing? "I've considered your offer...and to me, it doesn't seem like much of an offer."

Torak had it up to the top. He motioned toward one of his guards. "K'ratak, fulfill your orders."

"Yes captain." He stepped up behind the group and shoved Spock forward. "On your knees, Vulcan."

When Spock remained standing, K'ratak delivered a swift blow to the inside of his knees with the butt of a long weapon, and the first officer crumpled to the floor, but somehow managed to do so in a dignified fashion. Samandak closed her eyes and willed herself not to interfere, she knew she could only make things worse. Christine was clenching her hands together, her knuckles white with tension.

Spock received a blow to the side of the neck in the same manner, and went the rest of the way down, looking as if he found it difficult to breath.

Caught in a fit of rage, Samandak let out what was nearly a scream and launched at K'ratak. It was for naught, as she was caught back by two other guards, who cuffed her hands behind her back and yanked her away from the platform.

Torak laughed. "Your insolence amuses me, doctor, but it will not be tolerated."

"Go to Hell." Samandak spat, completely lost on any composure that she once had.

"Get up." K'ratak shoved Spock with his boot, and the first officer somehow managed to pull himself to his hands and knees, then stood up, shakily.

Christine pushed past the guard and grabbed Spock by the arm, helping him steady himself. "Are you alright?!"

"I am not damaged." He replied, but they both knew that all that meant was that he would heal eventually. Anger burned in his eyes, even if he hid it well with the rest of his body. Anger and pain both, but also some form of fear...the kind of fear that was not for yourself, but for someone else.

"You have another thirty minutes to consider this, Captain Kirk." Torak took a dramatic step toward the viewer. "I know much about you, James T. Kirk. I know that this _Spock_ is your good friend, and you would gladly sacrifice the world to see no harm come to him." His glare intensified. "I am hoping that you will sacrifice your ship to the same end. After all, I loose nothing by his death." He motioned to Karakul, who cut the transmission.

"Put them all in cuffs," Torak growled. "And throw them back into their cell."

"Shall we attack, captain?"

"No! I want that ship intact. Why are they still on my bridge?"

-----

Kirk sat back down in his chair, gripping at the armrests with such force they might come off.

"Jim?" McCoy seemed only slightly less temperamental, probably because of the types of pressures the situation involved.

"I'm fine Bones." He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Scotty, anything?"

"Not a thing, captain." Scott replied. He was going over the only set of Klingon interior plans that they had, and they weren't for a battle cruiser, they were for a trade ship. He was sure they were very different, and was having the ship scanned now, but it could be another hour before they had anything useful. Judging from what he'd just heard, they didn't _have_ another hour.

"I can't just leave them over there, Bones." Kirk said, looking tired and defeated. "But we can't just surrender, not to them. They'd only treat more people like that."

"Scotty'll come up with something." McCoy assured him. "Besides, Spock can take care of himself, and those girls, too."

Kirk covered his face with both hands. "I know, I know." He stood up, and started walking about the bridge, checking each station, as he had a tendency to do when he wasn't sure what his next step should be. It would help if he just wasn't so _tired_...oh that ridiculous rash! He scratched at his shoulder in annoyance.

-----

Samandak had wriggled about enough to slip her hands under her feet and up in front of her, and Spock sat leaned up against the opposite wall, watching her fume and pace back and forth. She'd dropped all of her previous self control, and he wondered if she'd dropped it because she wanted to, or because she couldn't keep it up. Christine looked like she was on the verge of tears, and that seemed to be rubbing off on Samandak in that strange human way.

She plopped down on the ground. "This is so frustrating, they don't have any right to do this."

"That is why we call them criminals." Spock remarked.

Samandak threw him an exasperated look, that was quickly clouded with a look of intense fear mixed with anger and...something else. She immediately turned to Christine. "Are you alright?"

"Me? I'm fine...why?"

"You're giving off very bad vibes."

"Of course I am!" She hit the floor with her fists, chains clinking loudly as an irritating reminder of their situation. "Look at what they did to you—look at what they did to Spock!"

Samandak looked at him sadly, and he figured that there must be a fully formed bruise on his neck and shoulder by this point. It did hurt, a lot, but that seemed to be the least of their problems. Nurse Chapel was on the verge of an emotional breakdown, and Samandak wasn't doing much better...but she was going in the opposite direction.

"It's time for the next transmission." Tatell was at the door again, keys jangling. And he looked irritated. An irritated Klingon was never a good sign. Rather than taking them back to the bridge, however, the three were shoved into the next room over, where Captain Torak was standing impatiently with a few more guards. They'd set up a communications station on the prison level, it would seem. Christine paled, and he followed her eyes across the room.

Apparently, Torak and Kirk had already been arguing, and Torak was steaming. "No funny stuff, Kirk! You try anything, and the blond one dies."

Samandak just seemed to grow tenser, like she was feeding off of the negativity in the room. A hand was on Spock's shoulder suddenly, shoving him toward the viewer.

Torak smirked devilishly, and grabbed Spock's arm and yanked him forward. "Captain Kirk, do you see your first officer? Everyone on the bridge of the Enterprise, do you see Commander Spock?"

"We see him, Torak." Kirk said, tensely.

"Good. K'ratak?"

The obnoxious man from earlier nodded. He stepped forward and took the chain between the cuffs on Spock's wrists, yanked it as a signal to follow, and stepped into the back of the room, still in view of the camera. He attached the chain to a high-up hook on the wall, and Spock was left with his back facing the room.

There was a sound, like something leather being removed from a table, and a thick, disgusting laughing sound. "Well, Captain Kirk? It is now decision time."

Samandak's frightened voice came from the side of the room. "No!"

* * *

**Uh oh, another cliffhanger! Haha, I'm addicted to cliffhangers I'm afraid. Anyway, there will be a bit of violence in the next chapter...it's not gory, but it may be offensive to some parties.**

**ENJOY! XD  
**


	10. Chapter 10

"Don't!" Samandak shouted, feeling all color drain from her face. Christine looked as if she might faint. K'ratak held a thick, leather whip in his hand, and was standing not far from where Spock was bound with his back facing the room, completely blind to the situation. He didn't even attempt to look over his shoulder, and Samandak thought that perhaps it was for the best.

Captain Kirk looked absolutely horrified. "You wouldn't."

"But I would." Samandak wanted to scratch that grin off of his face.

Kirk still looked like he didn't believe him entirely. Please _please_ let us all be strong enough for this, Samandak thought fearfully. She closed her eyes. Don't surrender the Enterprise Jim, don't do it...

"You have ten seconds." Torak was beginning to sound impatient.

Kirk sat there, gaping, trying to figure out what to do next. He looked both scared and incredibly angered.

"Five seconds." Torak narrowed his eyes. "You wouldn't subject your best friend to torture, all over a little ship?"

It was in that moment that Kirk seemed to grow most stubborn, appearing to make the decision to stand his ground.

"Very well. K'ratak, convince him."

Samandak's heart skipped a beat in terror as the whip cracked against the first officer of the Enterprise, ripping his uniform top wide open and leaving a huge, green welt, that started bleeding after a couple of seconds. She wanted nothing more than to turn away and scream, but somehow felt that doing so would be deserting Spock. She did, however, put her arms over Christine and allow her to take shelter in the fabric of her uniform.

The nurse was choking back sobs, and it sounded like she might be quietly begging for them to stop.

"Again." Torak said, coldly, and the whip cracked again. Spock all but flinched, and Samandak could see from the side that he was clenching his eyes and teeth, fighting the urge to cry out.

Kirk was growing paler, rubbing his hand across his mouth trying to keep a clear head.

Captain Torak glanced back and forth between the women and Spock, and looked like he was about to give another verbal command, but Kirk interrupted.

"Stop!" He stood up and walked toward the viewer, growing bigger in the screen. He was visibly shaking, and Samandak realized that she was doing the same. "We surrender, you may board." He looked like he immediately regretted the decision, but was also relieved to see the hook on the wall being unlocked and Spock released to crumple to the floor in pain and humiliation.

Samandak let go of Christine, who ran toward the commander in tears.

"You cruel, pitiful excuse for soldiers." Samandak muttered. Maybe she could use her chain to strangle that captain of theirs...

"Take them back to their cell." Torak commanded. "Captain Kirk and I have some things to discuss."

-----

Kirk was hardly able to think straight, watching his first officer being escorted harshly away after being unfairly abused.

"What are your terms?" Kirk asked, running a shaky hand down his cheek.

"No terms." Torak said hotly. "I want everyone on your ship to put their weapons in the transporter room to be beamed over to mine, and then we will beam your crew over five at a time."

The captain turned to Uhura. "Lieutenant, send a message to the rest of the crew updating them on our current situation. Have all weapons moved to the nearest transporter."

"Yes sir." Uhura didn't even hesitate, as she repeated the captain's orders and sent them about the ship.

Kirk felt sick, and closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "The last of our personnel should beam aboard in about two hours." He estimated, wondering if he should have tried to stall for time.

The Klingon nodded unquestioningly, but then turned back to Kirk. "If we detect one weapon on your ship once we've beamed the last of them over, I will not hesitate to--"

"Yes I know!" Kirk shouted, startling Sulu and Uhura.

"Very well." The viewer clicked off, and Kirk collapsed into his chair shaking like a leaf. "Scotty, please tell me we have a plan." His tone was pleading.

"No sir," Scott replied. He was also pale, but he pulled himself together quickly for his captain. "I just got a printout of the inner workings, should I--"

"No, Scotty, that's alright." He looked back up at the blank viewer, and whispered, "Spock, please think of something."

-----

No longer cuffed, with the promise of his captain's cooperation, Spock sat very still on the floor of their three-person cell. Christine was fussing over him like he was a child, and Samandak was just recovering from a flood of frustrated tears. He couldn't quite understand their ways of expressing themselves, but he did understand their anger. He was _furious!_ How dare Torak use him as leverage against Captain Kirk? How dare he blackmail him into giving up his ship?

Spock became aware of his surroundings again as another flash of pain washed over him. He clenched his jaw shut and closed his eyes, careful not to express any discomfort. He felt Samandak move close to him, and opened his eyes. She was wearing an expression that said she was about to tell him something that she didn't want to.

"Commander, if...I..." She took a deep breath and crossed her legs, then laced her hands together in her lap. "My grandmother...is from the Manerian Star System."

It took him several moments to understand the relevance of this information; she was informing him that she had empathic abilities. Why? "Am I to understand that your grandfather is not?"

Samandak shook her head. "No...but the ability that she possessed is hereditary."

It occurred to Spock what she was trying to communicate. "If you are suggesting that you implement said abilities in this situation, I will not allow it."

She choked back a sob. "I can see right through that tough outer layer of yours, Spock! Don't try to tell me that--"

"My pain is my own to bear."

"But it wasn't your choice! You didn't put yourself in a dangerous situation! Any other time, I would just--"

"Doctor." He stared at her, unwaveringly, until she stopped protesting.

Samandak swallowed, then looked at the floor.

"I will not allow you to take on such a burden. I am the highest ranking officer, this will remain my task."

She closed her eyes and nodded. Spock looked back over at Nurse Chapel; she was sitting there with the same hurt expression, but remained neutral—verbally, at least. He gave her a reassuring look. "We should all try to get some rest. We will need all of our strength should an opportunity to escape present itself."

Both women nodded in agreement, but Christine paused.

"What about you, Spock?"

"I shall also attempt to sleep, though it should not be easy."

"Here," Samandak sat forward; she still sounded teary. "Lay like this." She put herself in a position on the floor on her stomach that neither moved the muscles about her shoulders, nor allowed her face to touch the cold stone, her arms tucked underneath her so that she could lay her face on her fists. "It won't stay comfortable forever, but it should be enough to let you at least get to sleep."

Spock nodded, grateful to the young psychologist for being able to push aside human emotionalism and deal with things rationally, even though, he could tell, she did not desire such.

"Are you going to be warm enough?" She asked suddenly.

"I will be fine." Spock assured her with a nod.

Samandak smiled sadly, watching him mimic her position, then she sat up and pushed herself into a corner and closed her eyes. Christine leaned up against the wall near where he was laying, obviously determined to stay close should he need anything.

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry about all that. It was a combination of a little "something" for the Spock whump fangirls, and adding a bit of spice to the story. Yes, I'm going somewhere, you shall see...**

**And for once, this is not a cliffhanger. Well, the whole story is a cliffhanger, but still...OH and thanks again for your lovely reviews, it really encourages me :)  
**


	11. Chapter 11

Spock and Christine had both fallen into a restless sleep. Samandak, however, found herself unable even to attempt meditation. Though she was sure they'd slept in perilous situations before, she simply didn't understand how they could just sit back with their eyes closed and pass out, and she was wholly envious. Having spent the past fifteen or so minutes awake alone, she'd had a few minutes to really think about their situation, and found herself replaying the day's events over and over, no matter how hard she tried to push them from her mind. It was frustrating to have Spock laying right there, to see his wounds, and know that she could fix it for him in moments, and not be able to do anything.

Of course...

He couldn't stop her if he wasn't aware that she was doing anything.

No! She told herself. Spock trusted her, enough to sleep while she was still conscious, she couldn't just--

In his sleep, Spock had no way of masking the pain that he was in, his face drawing into a wince and his hands clenching at the hard floor.

Controlling her breath carefully, Samandak crept across the room and leaned against the wall adjacent to Christine. She wasn't sure why, but it made her feel better to be nearer, to sense their minds in a far-off peaceful realm. At least the taint of fear had left the room. She was about to move again, when Christine stirred. At first, Samandak was sure she was just turning to get more comfortable, but after a few seconds her eyes flitted open and she rubbed at them wearily.

Samandak put a finger up to her lips, motioning toward the sleeping first officer with her eyes. Christine glanced down at him, then nodded at Samandak.

"It still hurts, even in his sleep." Samandak said, rubbing her cold arms.

"How do you know that?" The nurse asked, glancing at Spock worriedly.

"My grandfather is from Betazed. I don't have the same telepathic abilities, but I can still sense him."

"What do you mean 'sense him'?"

"I don't know...I can sense you, too. Your presence, your feelings...oh don't worry, it's not much more than what I would get from a facial expression." She assured her, upon seeing the slightly surprised look on her face.

"Oh." She looked back down at Spock. "Then you...?"

Samandak nodded, and Christine reddened.

"It's not something I share with a lot of people."

"I know." Samandak switched walls and scooted closer to the pair. "And I promise you, I would never betray a confidence."

"Well...thank you." Christine's facial expression seemed to say 'I think?'.

"Friends?" Samandak extended her hand, and Christine took it.

She broke a smile. "Yes, I suppose so."

Samandak gave a relaxed sigh. "Good. I needed to know that I had a friend."

"Captain Kirk is your friend."

"Captain Kirk is the captain of his ship," Samandak corrected. "A very good captain, who does his job just as he should, but a captain none the less."

Christine nodded her agreement.

"Even a captain must have friends."

Both girls startled at Spock's voice, as he sat up and turned to face them.

"Spock!" Samandak exclaimed. "How long have you been listening to us?"

"Not very," He said. "I simply did not desire to interrupt your conversation. However, I could not go back to sleep."

"You're lucky you're hurt already, or I'd sock ya!" Samandak laughed.

"I do not believe that my injuries have anything to do with luck that is 'good', however, I do believe that it is fortunate to be on your good side."

Christine laughed too, shaking her head. "And I was sure you'd hate each other."

Spock glanced at her wearing a quizzical expression. "You are beginning to sound like Dr. McCoy."

"If I am," She said. "It's from sitting in that sickbay with you two for the past week."

"It would suit you well _not_ to take after his mannerisms." Spock informed her.

"Oh, you're one to talk, Spock!" Christine replied.

Samandak cleared her throat and raised her eyebrows. "Mr. Spock? Nurse Chapel?" She motioned toward the door. "Does anyone have any ideas about how to get out?"

-----

"That's the last of 'em, captain." Scott reported, wearing a sullen expression. They'd just watched their last stack of phasers disappear from the transporter room.

Kirk nodded. "Send the first group of five in. You, Dr. McCoy, and I will beam out last, see if we can't devise something in that amount of time."

"Aye sir." Scott gave some orders to a few ensigns and lieutenants, who ran off to round everyone up. Kirk felt rigid with regret, those were the last words he'd wanted to say, to give his crew a command to display obedience to a Klingon battle cruiser! It wasn't just, and it was _highly_ undesired. Nevertheless, he'd given the order, and he wasn't about to back down off of that unless he saw his people beamed back into the room at that instant. Of course, it was going to take more plotting than that.

Oh yes, he knew they were going to reverse the situation, turn the tables. The hard part was figuring out _how_. Spock would come up with something eventually, of that he was certain, but eventually wasn't good enough. He didn't want to be doing this right at this instant! Beaming his crew over to the control of a group of brutes...it just didn't seem right. Someone with the wit and manpower to stalk a Starfleet ship for days, kidnap some of it's most important personnel, and actually make an intelligible threat.

-----

Finding himself coming slowly out of the dream realm, Spock sat up, balancing himself slightly with his hand against a wall. Something felt odd, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"The first of our crew has arrived." Samandak said, coldly. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor with her back to the bars, eyes closed, hands on her knees. She must be concentrating very hard on whatever it was she was doing.

"Am I to understand that Captain Kirk has not yet discovered a solution?"

"That is correct." She opened her eyes and turned to face him. "Sleep well?"

"I did, surprisingly." He glanced into the corner opposite him to see Christine, her knees against her chest, head lay back, eyes closed, breathing steady. She had that same, peaceful look on her face that she'd had earlier that day. Before the bad chain of events went off.

"She just got to sleep." Samandak said. "She's far out, though."

Spock nodded, and leaned against the wall. That was when he figured out what felt different. His head snapped so that his eyes met with Samandak's.

She seemed to read his mind, an apologetic look crossing her face.

"Why did you do that? I told you specifically--"

"It was_ my_ choice!" Samandak retorted, sitting forward. He noticed a thick green welt traveling about her shoulder up to her neck. "Besides, it will heal faster on me. The marks will only be there for a couple more hours, and then the pain will subside completely."

"You still should not have taken it," Spock scolded, but his voice was gentler now. "I did not desire for you to experience that level of pain."

"Well it's done now." She replied, crossing her arms. He had to admit, she did show great strength. Her eyes betrayed total self-confidence, same as her posture, and she was bearing intolerable pain—to humans, at least. He had to remind himself now of her extraordinarily mixed blood, that she was most likely able to bear a large amount of physical stimulation.

"Perhaps if--"

"Shh, someone's coming." Samandak interrupted his sentence, putting a finger to her lips and staring at the wall in the back of the cell.

Spock raised an eyebrow, but moments later he heard footsteps. Later still, a guard came into view. He glanced into their cell, made a sound that was like a cross between a grunt and a scoff, and summoned to someone out of sight. They uttered a few unintelligible phrases back and forth in Klingon, and then the first guard took a key ring out of goodness-knows-where and unlocked the cell. The other guard kept two phasers trained on Spock and Samandak.

"Wake up." The guard, now inside their cell, shouted at Christine.

Samandak stood up. "Please, she just managed to--"

"Silence!" Before either of them had time to react, the guard smacked Samandak, sending her into the electrified bars behind her. She fell to the floor, and for a moment Spock thought she might be unconscious, but she moved up off of the floor onto her knees, looking nauseated.

"You know, you guys have a bad habit of telling people to shut up in the rudest way possible." She groaned.

Spock was amused by how much she sounded like the captain, a defiant tone underlining sarcastic words, even in a dire situation. It showed just another one of her strengths.

The guard glared, then walked to the back of the cell and grabbed Christine by the shoulder and shook her. The moment her eyes were open, he yanked her up by the wrist. "The captain wants to see you." He growled.

For a moment, Spock was hit with a sick feeling that he might be planning on fulfilling his threat of killing her, but then the guard chuckled.

"Don't know why he fancies you," He looked her up and down. "But you're to come with me to...spend a special evening with 'im."

Spock glanced at Samandak, who was on her feet again looking shocked. It took him a moment to realize why; the captain was deprived of female company, and he planned on spending the night with a pretty blond.

Not on his watch.

Spock stood up, and in a flash, he had an arm around the guard's neck, threatening to squeeze the breath out of him if he moved. "I do not believe that _Captain_ Torak will be having his pleasurable evening."

Christine was just coming to, beginning to understand what was going on, and she looked slightly frightened. Spock's grip on the man tightened.

Samandak's hand was on his arm. He glanced behind him, and saw that the other guard was pointing the phasers at them, and realized he was yelling. He released his captive.

The guard shoved him back, and then was out of the cell in a heart beat, with the door locked once again. He looked more frightened than Nurse Chapel. He mumbled something in the Klingon language, and both guards disappeared around the corner.

"They lied," Samandak whispered. "The captain gave no such order. But I just came up with an idea."

Spock took a moment to recompose himself before speaking. "Explain."

"It's something I've never really thought to try before, though quite a number of people in Maneria are quite capable of such a thing." She glanced at him. "Extrovertial empathy."

He raised a quizzical eyebrow. "How will sending a guard pain cause him to open our cell?"

"Not pain," Samandak said. "Security. If I could impose on him the idea that we are not a threat to him or his ship, he might open the door."

"How do you intend on doing that?" Spock asked.

"Did I not tell you? I am also part Betazoid."

No, she hadn't told him, though he wasn't surprised, that would explain quite a bit. A lot, actually...like the reason that she seemed to experience random moments of sorrow, joy, anger, so on. It wasn't just her human emotionalism. And how she knew that the guards had lied, though he couldn't figure out why they would--

Oh, wait.

Yes, he could.

"Do you think it will work?" He continued looking at her, attempting to appear unmoved by her statement, though by this point he knew that she could probably read his intrigue like an open book.

"I don't know," Samandak replied. "But it's definitely worth a shot."

* * *

**Author's Note: Haha, looks like I finally caught up with myself! Now I actually have to WRITE in order to post more...the whole extrovertial empathy thing was brought to my attention by a friend on deviantART. Okay, we're off to write more fanfiction...XD Dude, I hear Don Knotts in the other room...and...is that Gary Shandling? ~gigglesnort~ Okay, bye bye now...**


	12. Chapter 12

"You really think this is gonna work?" Christine asked, then grabbed another piece of the fabric of Samandak's uniform and tore it open.

"I'm not sure," Samandak said. "But it should. I hope..."

Commander Spock and Nurse Chapel had helped her tear up her uniform...not a whole lot, just enough to make it look like she'd been in a bit of a brawl. She already had the bruises and cuts that were needed to appear genuine.

"So what now?"

Samandak glanced around. "Remember what I told you?"

They both nodded.

"Alright. When I call out..." She cleared her throat and glanced through the bars, trying to see what she could. No guards were in the immediate vicinity, but she sensed that there was one or two within shouting range. "Now...HELP!"

Spock grabbed Samandak's arms and tried to make it look like he was restraining her, without actually harming her, and Christine grabbed her by the chin and held her hand back like she was about to strike.

"Somebody, please!" Samandak called out. "They're gonna kill me!"

Moments later, a Klingon security guard was in sight. He had a weapon pointed at the trio. "Alright, hands off."

Instantly, Spock released her, and Christine stepped back with her hands up. Samandak tore away and ran up to the bars, careful not to touch them.

"I demand to be moved to a separate cell!" She said, feigning fury. In her mind, she was trying to send him some kind of brain pattern. To trust her...to believe her. To want to help her.

He really didn't seem that affected, but, keeping his weapon trained on the other two, he unlocked the door and stepped to the side. "One false move," He growled. He closed the door and aimed at her.

She crossed her arms haughtily, and allowed him to move her into the next cell over, but couldn't get very close to him. However, he entered the cell with her and locked the door. Once she realized the emotion emanating off of him, it took all of her willpower not to back into a corner; lust. Like none other...and it was horrifying. He shut the cell door behind him, and approached her, with an expression on his face that said he was going to take what he wanted.

Once he got close enough, she wasted no time in snaking her arms about his neck. Before he could even make his move, he collapsed to the floor, and Samandak brushed her hands together, thankful for all of her time spent on Vulcan learning their techniques.

"Keys, keys..." She mumbled, looking through the guard's clothing. She finally found a ring with three matching keys on it, and used it to unlock the cell. She locked it behind her, effectively trapping the Klingon inside, then moved down the hall a bit toward Spock and Christine. She let them out, and then tossed the keys to Spock.

"I've got to get a message to the captain," She whispered. "You see if you can find the other cell block and release the rest of the crew."

"Are you sure that the captain isn't already on board this vessel?" Spock asked.

"No, I'm not." Samandak replied, wearily. "I can only hope."

He nodded, and she bade them farewell and was off down the corridor. She figured the best way to convey a message to the Enterprise would be to go straight to the control room and manually manipulate communications. It was surprisingly easy to maneuver her way about the ship, but she attributed that to her mild telepathic link with everyone aboard the vessel. It was also an advantage to be able to feel someone around the corner, rather than having to depend on a visual. She never realized how much she relied on her senses before, and once she reached the control room, she carefully rendered the two engineers on post unconscious via the traditional to'tsu'k'hy. They both slumped over in their seats.

Samandak checked carefully for any other personnel, then began looking for a way to send a coded message back to her ship. She couldn't help noticing their current course, however, and had to grab a star chart and double-check to be certain. But there was no mistake; they were headed straight toward the Romulan neutral zone.

-----

"Spock? Spock!" Kirk's whisper grew loud, and he tried to signal his first officer from the small holding cell aboard the Klingon ship. They'd placed the captain separately from the rest of the crew, which seemed to be a most wise decision on their part.

Spock turned about, then quietly caught Nurse Chapel's attention and quickly approached the barred door, but the set of keys that he had didn't match the lock.

"I shall have to attain the proper key," He informed his captain, and then pushed Christine up against a wall as a set of footsteps echoed down the hall. Perfect timing, Kirk thought. He walked by without even noticing Spock or Christine, who had pressed themselves into two small crevices along the walls. Once he was gone, they came back into sight, and Spock had the proper key. He unlocked the cell door.

"Where is Dr. Samandak?" Kirk asked. "Is she alright?"

"She is unharmed, captain." Spock told him. "She went down to the control room in an attempt to get a message to _you_."

"By herself?"

"I do believe she is quite capable on her own."

The captain nodded slowly, then turned his attention back to the present situation. "Have you seen the rest of the crew? Scotty Uhura and I beamed out last, but we were separated almost immediately."

"I have not," Spock said, glancing about in case another guard should come through. For such a large ship, the crew seemed rather sparse.

"Okay." Kirk thought for a moment. "I'm going to go find Samandak and then get to the armory, you keep on looking for the rest of the crew."

"Yes, captain." They split up, and Kirk recalled as best he could the plans of the ship that his chief engineer had showed him before. He turned into a corridor, only to skid to a halt when he saw a group of Klingons having a discussion. Fortunately, they were quite preoccupied, and he was able to backtrack and find an alternate route. This could take some time.

-----

Upon reaching the top level of the cruiser, excluding of course the bridge level where they were sure no prisoners would be kept, Spock and Christine realized the need to backtrack, and began once again to sneak back down. It proved to be tedious indeed, and Spock began to fret as to whether or not he should have let Samandak leave alone. He had believed his previous statement about her capability, but even such, perhaps it would have been to their advantage to remain in a group. No matter now, he decided, as they found another level beneath their feet and began their walk down the hall past the cells where they had previously been held.

There was a groaning sound, like someone in terrible pain, but too tired to cry out, and Christine stopped. Spock took a few steps ahead of her, then turned to see what had deterred her; she was staring the cell where Samandak had locked in the Klingon guard.

"Spock," She breathed, looking appalled. "Come see this."

He strode back over to where she stood and glanced inside; on the floor lay what looked like it used to be a security officer, but the flesh of his forearms and around his neck and shoulders had been eaten away. It looked like acid burns, though there was no such chemical present.

"Help me..." He whimpered. "Please!"

Chapel looked nauseated, and put a hand to Spock's arm to steady herself. "Spock, what...should we do something?"

He had to look at the situation from a logical viewpoint; the longer they lingered, the more chance they stood of being discovered, especially if they released the only crewman who knew of their escape. Some part of him deep down wanted to stay and help, but that was quickly smothered by the remembrance of what a group of his kind had done in the past twelve hours. His sympathy dissipated instantly, even though Spock had never been a prejudiced person, he felt he had every right to disprove of a particular group of people who had done unseemly deeds.

"No." He said, sharply. "Time is of the essence, we must release the rest of the crew if we are to regain control of the Enterprise." He began walking once again, and for a moment questioned whether or not the nurse was following. But moments later, her footsteps were heard catching up to him.

They came down another set of emergency steps, and nearly literally collided with a tall, thin figure; Dr. Samandak.

"Oh, there you are!" She whispered.

"Where's the captain?" Nurse Chapel asked.

Samandak, panting for breath, pushed her now unruly hair from her face. "You haven't found him?"

"We have," Spock replied. "He left in pursuit of you."

"I haven't seen him," She said. "But I've just checked the flight plan in control, and we are headed straight toward Romulan space."

If Spock were human, he would have either been extremely frightened at that moment, or felt a wave of exasperation, both of which Samandak seemed to be exploiting, along with that carefully-controlled rage bubbling just beneath her cool exterior.

"We must regain control of the Enterprise." She stated. It seemed redundant to state the obvious, but at the same time, it was a fact, and the stakes were only getting higher with time.

"But how?" Christine scratched at the palm of her hand, which Spock took to be a nervous gesture at first. Upon closer examination however, he noticed a bumpy red rash across her hand and ascending up her forearm.

Footsteps came down the hall, and Christine backed instinctively into another crevice in the wall, but Spock recognized his captain's footfall pattern. Evidently, Samandak could simply tell that it was him, as Captain Kirk came into view carrying as many phasers as he could.

"Extraordinary timing, captain." Spock mused. "We were just contemplating how to take the Enterprise back under our command."

"Oh, just in time for the party?" Kirk asked, that gleam of cocky humor lingering in his eyes. He handed a phaser to Spock, then one to Samandak.

"Nurse Chapel?" He called, but quietly.

Christine stepped back into the light, looking a bit sheepish. Spock saw no reason for her to be; she was human, she had neither the precise ability to judge footsteps nor the telepathic ability to sense a consciousness, it was logical for her to have assumed that it was an enemy approaching.

Kirk handed her a phaser as well, which left him with two in his own possession. "Let's go find my crew."

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry for the delay! I'm still experiencing a bit of writer's block, but I'm hoping that if I muscle my way through, it'll go away XD Anyway, hope you're enjoying the story so far, there's definitely more to come! I'm also considering throwing in a bit more whump, but I'm a little shy about writing in that genre, let me know what you think!**


	13. Chapter 13

A sense of fatigue began to dawn on Samandak as she navigated the halls of the ship with her companions. She had been awake for much longer than she was accustomed, and Nurse Chapel and Captain Kirk both seemed to be exhibiting signs of weariness. Spock seemed completely unaffected, though she was aware of a Vulcan's stamina and ability to stay awake and alert for many days. The pain of Spock's stolen injuries had almost completely faded, leaving only a dull throbbing that Samandak was actually somewhat grateful for, as it boosted her awareness and sharpened her senses a bit. They had eventually found the alternate cell block, but the crew had not been present. Samandak wished that she could further read the thoughts of the crew aboard the cruiser, but her telepathic abilities were...fleeting, at best. Only strong emotions or shared knowledge could be accessed, and even that took a tremendous amount of effort. Even so, such a state of mind was becoming more and more difficult to achieve as time slipped on.

The four finally came to a halt ten meters or so from the entrance to the bridge level, none of them willing to risk being spotted just yet.

"What now?" Kirk whispered, phasers lowered to his sides.

Keeping a keen eye on the emergency stairs, Samandak said, "Perhaps we should separate."

"Split up?" Christine asked.

Spock quirked an eyebrow. "I doubt that would be advantageous."

"No, something isn't right." Samandak stated. "We have searched every inch of this ship, save the bridge, yet we can not find the crew."

Kirk glanced at the doorway, and then back at the psychologist."And you think that if we split up we stand a better chance of finding them?"

Samandak put a hand to her face, trying to clear the fog threatening to take over her thoughts. "I don't...I don't know." She shook her head and looked back to the captain. "I can only guess about two things; one is that the Klingons have instituted a new way of holding prisoners, which would be greatly to our disadvantage, but at the same time I doubt they are that innovative or intelligent. My second guess is that the crew of the Enterprise is, in fact, on the Enterprise, being held in her brig or on the bridge at gun point."

"That doesn't make any sense," Kirk said. "Why go through all the trouble of beaming them over, just to put them back?"

"Well they must have known that they couldn't keep us locked in those cells with so little personnel no matter how hard they tried," Samandak reasoned. "So they did the next best thing; they put the crew onto the other ship, as to minimize our chances of finding them."

"We must also consider a third option." Spock said, darkly.

Christine openly shuddered. "You don't think--"

Spock's eyes intensified, though the rest of his face remained neutral. "It is possible that the crew were beamed out into space."

Samandak felt her heard skip a beat, she hadn't considered that option, namely because her mind hadn't been able to concoct something that unpleasant...though now that Spock said it, it did make sense.

"Alright, that's enough." Kirk said, sensing the nervousness that had overwhelmed the group and attempting to quell it. "Spock, you and I—no, Dr. Samandak and I will head down to the transporter room to see if we can't gain access to the logs, see who's right. You and Nurse Chapel get back to the control room and see if you can't buy us some time, kill their power or something."

Spock nodded, but Christine just looked nervous. Samandak tried to give her a reassuring look, but it didn't seem that she was about to be comforted.

"Right," Kirk put his phasers forward again. "Let's go."

-----

"Captain," Samandak's call came from a separate corridor, and Kirk backtracked and joined her. "The transporter room is this way." She told him.

Kirk reddened. "Of course. I didn't get to look at those plans much."

"I understand."

The continued on their way, Kirk constantly impressed by her navigational ability. "Have you been on ships like this often?" He questioned.

"Very few, when I was younger." She replied. "But my memory of that time does not serve me as well as the knowledge that I gain each time we near a crewman."

"You mean you're just...taking their memories?"

"Not exactly," She led them around another corner, then stopped abruptly a security guard passed in an adjoining corridor. "More like feel it. Tell me, captain, do you remember how to navigate your ship by memory, or a visual remembrance?"

He contemplated for a moment. "Not exactly."

"You feel how it is navigated, correct?"

"I...suppose." She was making sense...sort of.

"That is what I sense from the Klingons. Not a memory, but an idea, a knowledge." She put an arm out, and moments later Kirk could hear a few voices. Moments later, a small group passed again.

"So you're still intruding on their minds." Kirk observed. They turned yet another corner, and he was again grateful to her abilities, these halls were confusing enough.

"I do not find it an intrusive action," Samandak replied, raising a slanted eyebrow. "What I find an intrusive action is kidnapping Starfleet officers and stealing a Starship. Not only intrusive, but recompensable and despicable."

Despite her completely relaxed and calm exterior, Kirk could feel a distinct aura of frustration and hate coming off of Samandak. She must have been more dismantled about the situation than she'd allow anyone else to see.

"The transporter room is just round that corner." She whispered, slowing her pace. Once they reached the entrance, Samandak put a finger up and closed her eyes. "Three men...one of them is carrying a phaser."

"Where are they?" Kirk asked.

"I can't tell exactly...one of them is very near the entrance though."

"The one with the phaser?"

"I don't know."

It would be of little use to stand there and speculate, when any moment one of them could come out and--

"One of them is Torak!" Samandak's eyes snapped open, and though her mouth didn't even twitch, her eyes filled with fire.

"That could be for us rather than against us," Kirk speculated, nodding.

She nodded coldly. "I'll go in first. You wait here for my signal."

"No, I'm--"

"Captain," She turned to him pleadingly. "For you to be recaptured could very well jeopardize any chances we have of escaping."

He chuckled.

She stared at him, cocking her head to the side contemplatively. "This amuses you?"

"No, not at all." He sighed. "Sometimes you just make me think of my first officer."

"I'm flattered, captain. Now, you wait here." She gave him an intense look that only seemed penetrating from beneath those winged brows.

"Alright, but I'm right behind you."

She nodded her agreement, then pulled her phaser close and swung around the corner.

He was about to follow, when he heard, "Captain Kir--!" And then silence.

-----

Spock and Christine had reached the control room, and Spock had done what he could to temporarily disable power on the bridge, but to no avail. It was as if they'd been anticipated and locked out of the system, and it was rather frustrating.

"Now what?" Christine asked, taking a deep breath. She was obviously tired, and whether it was genuine or simply fatigue, Spock admired her bravery. One of many things he admired about her, he thought, and then realized that he was allowing his attention to wander.

"Now," Spock approached the doorway carefully. "We should attempt to see if the captain and Dr. Samandak have succeeded in their task."

Christine swallowed and nodded, and together they exited the room, phasers posed carefully and set on stun to take out any threat they might encounter. Only moments later, however, there was a loud sound and a flash of light and smoke, and before his quick Vulcan mind had time to process anything, he was being thrown against a wall, and Christine lay on the ground several meters away. Pain seared throughout his body, and he realized that there was a piece of scrap metal embedded in his bicep. The bump on his head was threatening to render him unconscious, but he managed to pull himself to his hands and knees and move over to where the nurse lay; her eyes were closed, and she seemed dormant, but quite alive. He moved her hair from her face to discover a large bruise on the side of her head. It didn't look like a concussion, but he dared not move her. Something warm was running down his arm, and he glanced over to see green liquid trickling down his uniform and dripping onto the floor. Carefully, he pulled the metal away from his muscle, but immediately regretted it as a cold wave of pain washed over him and the metal clattered noisily to the floor. He closed his eyes and steadied himself. He had to move Christine, at least out of the middle of the hallway like this. He glanced about; a few feet away was a door to what looked like a janitor's closet, or something at least remotely resembling it. Fortunately, it did not appear that he would have to subject either of them to such treatment, as Christine's eyes fluttered open and she groaned in pain.

"Spock?"

"I am right here, Nurse Chapel." He said. Pain edged his voice sharply, and he reeled it in and used a more controlled tone. "Are you injured?"

"I don't think so," She said, carefully moving her fingers, then her arms, then attempting to sit up. "I just got a bump on the head...what happened?"

"There was an explosion in the control room." He replied flatly. "It would appear that we were expected by the Klingons."

"So it would appear...my God Spock, your arm!"

He looked down again, and realized that his entire sleeve was soaked.

"Spock we have to stop that bleeding." She said, seriously.

"Indeed." He looked around for something to tie it off with, but Christine was ten steps ahead of him.

"Take off your shirt." She commanded. He complied, leaving him chilled and a bit dizzy in his tight black undershirt. Christine used the sharp tip of her phaser to start a hole in the sleeve of his uniform top, and then ripped it off entirely. She used the rest of it as a big bandage, tying it tight enough to hopefully stop the gushing of blood. A bit of green seeped to the surface, but the temporary fix-it seemed to do it's job; the bleeding slowed almost to a stop. The pain was definitely still present, but not unbearable. Not to Spock, at least.

"Can you stand?" Nurse Chapel asked, getting herself to her feet and extending a hand.

"Yes, I believe so." The injury was in his arm, not his foot, he should be fine. He accepted her assistance and hauled himself up. He felt momentarily dizzy, but it passed and he was able to orient himself.

Christine put a hand to his forehead, and for a moment Spock felt uncomfortably warm for no apparent reason, but it passed again, making way for the chill of the ship's cool climatic control combined with his partial loss of clothing.

"You've lost a lot of blood." She said. Her brows furrowed in worry. "Are you going to--"

"I will be fine, nurse." He replied.

Christine knew better than to argue with Spock, so she nodded. "Then you can suggest a course of action?"

"I still believe that our best chances lay with the captain." He informed her, so they set off toward the transporter room.

* * *

**Author's Note: I was RIGHT about the whole 'muscle my way through writer's block' thing! After the first few paragraphs, this chapter gave me no trouble at all! Well, except for the fact that I'm having typing issues and am typing slower than usual thanks to it. My fingers keep hitting the wrong keys, haha.**

**Anyway, I'd like to thank you all AGAIN for your wonderful reviews, they really are encouraging, and I look forward to them each time I post! Just thought you'd like to know what a positive impact you have on my authoress' life. Again, hope you're enjoying the stor so far! More to come, do not worry...heehee...  
**


	14. Chapter 14

The trip to the transporter room could not have been a pleasant one for Spock and Christine.

There they stood, Spock looking paler than usual, and Christine scared as a kitten. When they'd entered the transporter room, Spock look...not surprised, so much, as tired of it, but the nurse had just looked downright shocked.

At this point, Samandak fought against the gag in her mouth, managing to spit it out. "No point now, they're here and caught." She pulled her arms away from the guard who was gripping her, and found him surprisingly willing to release her. She must have frightened him, as had been her intention. Touching him, it was much easier to convey her feelings toward him.

"What happened?" She asked, more gently. She approached the pair as the other guard took their phasers and then stood back.

"A console in the control room seems to have been preset to detonate." Spock said, glancing at Captain Torak. There were now several more security officers in the room, they had entered once Samandak and Captain Kirk were captured, and while Samandak just seemed like a casual prisoner, Kirk was in the back of the room with his hands cuffed behind his back and a phaser pressed against his neck. That can't be comfortable, Samandak thought ruefully.

"It wasn't _rigged_." Torak laughed. "That center was simply out of order, it had been bad for a while. You just stepped in at the wrong moment. It serves you right, too!"

Christine glared daggers, holding protectively on to Spock's arm.

"I see," Spock nodded, seemingly thoughtful, but to Samandak he simply appeared tired and injured.

"Now," Torak looked back and forth between them. "Where is Yug?"

"Who?" Samandak stared blankly back at the Klingon captain.

He shot her a glare of his own. "The security guard who was on patrol at the time of your escape. He was supposed to report back to duty one hour ago in your Earth time, that is how we knew you had escaped."

"Oh, that guy. I locked him in my cell." She said, casually.

"Actually," Christine cut in apprehensively. "He's dead."

An overwhelming anger shot from Torak throughout the room. "What?! By who's hand?"

"We don't know," The nurse replied, looking more timid. "When we passed by the cell, it looked like his skin...was just...melting!" She seemed a bit queasy recalling the thought.

"Melting?" Torak looked pale himself now. "How can that be?"

Christine shrugged. "I don't know."

"That's what happens when you intercept alien ships against their will." Samandak said, hotly. "What if we'd been undergoing a quarantine? How do you know that you haven't caught some awful flesh-eating disease from our sickbay?"

This gave the captain pause, but he quickly realized that it was simply a ruse. He scoffed indignantly. "Your ship would not have been traveling so far from it's home world if that were the case." He reasoned.

"You never know." Samandak grumbled, brown eyes rolled in frustration.

"Now," Torak exhaled in his own fit of annoyance. "You will stop these evasive actions, and return to--"

"Captain!" The guard who had been clutching the captain only moments before shouted. Kirk stood in the same spot, but the officer had let go of him and taken several steps away, looking at his hands in horror. Torak looked back at him, and then snapped his gaze back to the guilty threesome in the doorway.

"What have you done to my crew?!"

"We've done nothing." Spock said, raising an eyebrow. "It is you who have invaded our ship and taken the crew of the Enterprise captive."

"Don't be smart with me!" Torak spat, and looked like he might have said something further had the security guard in the back of the room not cried out in pain, sinking to the floor. Samandak watched him in emotionless curiosity, and noticed something...quite peculiar happening to him; the skin about his hands and wrists was rapidly disintegrating, almost like he'd been hit by a disruptor beam, but more localized. He let out an anguished shout, but it did him no good. The infectious...whatever it was, began eating up his arms. The captain allowed a look of alarm to cross his face, and for a moment, all attention in the room was on that one guard as he was skinned alive from the inside.

Eventually, he stopped moving, but that didn't relieve the tense, shocked, horrified silence in the room.

"That's what happened to the other one..." Christine said. She was white as a ghost. She turned her attention to Captain Torak. "Is it an epidemic? Are we next, captain? Have you brought to light some new, terrible virus?" She looked both pleading and disgusted with him.

Torak was still too shocked to speak, but he tried his best to shake it off. "I...don't know."

"Who's next?" Christine asked, seriously. She took a step forward, but in an instant there was a phaser trained on her.

"Wait just a minute," Torak said darkly. "Get back to the brig, now! I--"

There was another scream, and the sound of a phaser clattering to the ground. The guard that had previously been gripping Samandak was staring at his own hands.

Torak turned to face him, looking as if he expected to see that officer drop dead as well. But he was just standing there in horror, looking at his hands. It didn't look like there was any decomposition on him.

"What is it Karole?"

"Sir..." He held his hands toward the captain, and Samandak saw a red rash...the same rash that had been plaguing the crew of the Enterprise. A sick feeling welled up in her stomach.

"Yug was complaining about this only hours before...he.." He looked like he might faint.

"Captain Torak," Christine looked urgent, taking on a medical air. "I need to know if you've touched any of these men after they touched us."

-----

All attention had been directed away from Kirk, who now sat in the back of the room, hands still cuffed, gag still in place. He wasn't sure if his first officer was purposefully diverting attention, or if the situation had really become that serious. Doctor McCoy had said plainly that the virus wouldn't evolve...but if that were true, why was the crew of the Klingon vessel dropping dead everywhere? It was a disquieting thought, to say the least.

But he was thankful for the distraction. At last, Kirk had a chance to observe his surroundings without feeling sharp, cold steel against his throat. The door was several meters away, and blocked by the entire Klingon/Human/Vulcan party...they hadn't had a chance to move after the initial incident. The transport controls, however, were completely unguarded, and it should be easy to remove the security officer standing in front of the beam platform. At this moment, his crew were at an advantage. So why were they all standing around, arguing medicine? Perhaps Dr. Samandak could sense his thoughts...at least his eagerness. He raised his eyes to her, thinking as loudly as he could. She was still distracted, keeping a careful eye on Captain Torak. To make any sound now would draw the attention of the Klingons, so Kirk kept quiet and hoped that Samandak noticed his...

The sound of a transport beam filled the room. It was unexpected, and the guard standing atop the platform started and spun about, aiming his weapon at the slowly-forming figures.

It looked like...Klingon Law Officials? What were they doing aboard this ship?

Whatever it was, they were carrying huge weapons of a style that Kirk had never seen before, and they looked vastly unhappy.

"Nobody move!" One of the five shouted. "Down on the ground!"

Well, Kirk didn't have to change position for that, but Spock, Christine, and Samandak ducked down quick as lightning with their hands over their heads. But the two living guards and Captain Torak bolted through the open doorway. Two of the men followed suit, two of them traveled in another direction, but one of them stayed behind.

"You are Starfleet?" He asked, in a gruff, scratchy voice that sounded like a knife against tree bark.

"Yes." Came Spock's answer. Kirk hadn't realized how weak he really was until he heard his voice, shaking and tired.

"Get up." The officer ordered, and all three stood up. Christine made her way to her captain, warily searching the dead guard for a set of keys. She unlocked Kirk's cuffs, and he promptly tore the gag out of his mouth.

"Captain Kirk." The officer said dryly. "I might have known."

"Oh?" He rubbed his sore wrists. "How's that?"

"Before they got locked in the brig, one of your crew managed to send out a distress call. We traced it back, and it just so happened to be in the estimated location of an outlaw vessel carrying a shipload of escaped criminals."

It was beginning to make a bit more sense now. "My crew are alive?"

"More or less. We've secured your ship and the Klingons aboard have been beamed over to ours, you are free to return provided there are no more Enterprise personnel aboard this vessel."

"I don't think there are, but we'll do a head count when we get back." Kirk said.

With a grunt and a nod, the officer was out of the room, and the faint odor of a nauseous gas drifted into the room.

"We'd better get out of here." Kirk said, tapping the beam controls. He stepped up onto the transport platform and signaled the others to follow. The dark view of the Klingon transport room that had filled their vision only early that morning now melted into the bright, familiar atmosphere of the Enterprise.

Engineer Scott was standing, ready to greet them and smiling wide. "Ach, there ye are captain! We were beginnin' to get a bit worried!"

There was a dull thud, and Scott's look of happiness dissolved into one of unease. "What happened?"

Kirk turned around to see Spock trying to pick himself up off of the floor, but failing without sufficient support.

"We need to get him to sickbay," Christine said. "He's lost a lot of blood, and probably has an infection."

Kirk nodded and helped the nurse lift Spock up. He didn't even realize that Samandak was flanking them until they'd already reached the ship's infirmary. Instantly, McCoy was on his feet and preparing a table.

"What happened?" He asked, ready for duty as ever and clearly alert. He must have gotten some sleep as well.

"There was an explosion," Chapel said as they lay the wounded first officer down. "He was hit with some shrapnel, we didn't have enough time to--"

"I'm gonna need some disinfectant," McCoy said sharply, after unwinding Christine's home made bandage. "Possibly some antibiotics...how much blood did he lose?"

"Enough." The nurse replied. "Will he need a transfusion?"

McCoy cut away Spock's bloodied undershirt, then pressed two fingers against his shoulder. For a few moments an eerie white spot lingered, but then it returned to an almost normal, healthy green-tinted color. The doctor shook his head.

"He should be fine without, but unless we get this cleaned out--" He stopped talking as a bottle of peroxide was handed to him.

"We'd better wait outside," Samandak whispered, and Kirk realized how close she was standing, fists clenched with worry. "She's going to give him a wire brush next, and that's not pleasant."

He nodded agreement—he'd seen the procedure, even undergone it himself, enough times to know that he didn't want to stick around—and the two left sickbay, more or less relieved.

-----

Samandak had to bring down her mental barriers as the day dragged on...reports had to be filed, there were several wounded who needed treatment, so much official stuff. Tenseness and worry and fright and relief all flooded the air. It was overwhelming.

Samandak had finished the last of her required work, and was again sitting in her quarters, cross-legged, fingers steepled before her face. She wasn't even sure how long she'd been sitting there, as the world around her faded into darkness. She'd closed off her mind to outside stimuli and took deep, even breaths. Eventually, she'd found a state of mind that was...not exactly meditation, but it was definitely different than the norm. A serene feeling was just beginning to pass over her, when she realized that there was a hand on her shoulder.

Snapping her eyes open, Samandak looked up into the face of Christine Chapel. She looked much less tired, and Samandak wondered if she grabbed a few winks, or possibly even fell asleep in sickbay. The latter was most likely.

"How's Spock?" Samandak asked. She hauled herself to her feet and stood up.

"Spock's fine." She said, with relief.

Samandak looked over at the door after hearing Mr. Scott breathing, and smiled. "All's well?"

"Not all." He said. "We're too far out in Romulan space ta get back on the power we have."

"Well..." Samandak glanced back at Christine, then again at Scott. "Why come here?"

"No reason, doctor," He said, and then bounced on his toes. He was hiding the faintest hint of a smirk. "But I did want ta ask ye somethin'..."

"Yes?"

"In your third book, how exactly _did_ Jacob figure out where Madison was?"

Samandak raised both pointed eyebrows, quite surprised to her her novels referred to. Scott looked satisfied with himself. She cracked a smile.

"First, you tell me how you figured out that those were my books! Oh, come in!" She stepped aside, and Scott stepped in next to Christine as the doors slid shut.

"Your handwritin'." He said, smugly.

She laughed. "You compared my handwriting to a poet's? On what...a whim?" She walked over to her hidden vanity and spun it around so that a sink was displayed, and began modestly washing her face with a small towel.

"No, familiarity." In the mirror, Samandak could see Scott look at Christine and nod.

Samandak laughed. "That's just crazy!"

Nurse Chapel looked like she was about to say something, but paused. "Dr. Samandak...what is that you're putting on your face?"

"What...this?" She held up a small glass bottle, the contents of which she was carefully rubbing into her skin.

"Yes, that."

"It's an essential oil blend...vitamin E and a few other things. It keeps my skin from getting dry."

Christine stared at her, and the gaze reflecting from the mirror was that of someone who's just had a brilliant idea.

"It can't be that simple." She muttered, mouth agape.

"What can't?" Samandak turned around, an eyebrow lifted, gazing quizzically at the nurse before her.

"I've got to get down to sickbay."

* * *

**Author's Note: This is the chapter which wrote itself!...and...didn't get proofread...haha, enjoy even if there are mistakes.**


	15. Chapter 15

The problem down in engineering seemed to be power; they'd wandered too far off-course, and didn't have sufficient power to return to a colony for crystals. Worse than that, the Klingon law vessel had been out of contact for over an hour, and it didn't look like they were going to get any help there, either.

The problem in sickbay seemed to be the same as before; apparently, Nurse Chapel had come to Dr. McCoy with a 'brilliant solution' to their rash problem, which had plagued Kirk's mind greatly after what happened to those Klingons. Even though McCoy assured him that it was an isolated incident, he couldn't get that frightened, nagging feeling out of his head.

As an upside, however, Spock seemed to be regaining his strength, even helping out a bit with the medical research, although Christine would only allow him fifteen minutes or so of work before she forced him back into bed, backed up by threats from Dr. McCoy.

Everyone was busy, including the captain himself, who was headed down to engineering that moment. Scott told him that he had an idea, but would rather discuss it down in the engine room. As he arrived, Scott and another engineer were arguing over something while Samandak sat across the room, shaking her head. Rather than try to break up the quarrel, Kirk went to the psychologist and asked her what was going on.

"The ensign has an idea," Samandak explained. "But Scotty says it's impossible. I don't have a degree in physics, so my opinion isn't really fact, but I agree with Mr. Scott."

"What's the idea...what are you doing down here anyway?"

She stood up. "Well I finished my paperwork, and Mr. Scott asked me down here in jest to look at him." She pointed at the younger man clad in red, still arguing hotly. "He is insisting that we can...um...juxtapose space."

Kirk tilted his head, and glanced back at Scott. Normally it would be Scotty himself who came up with something crazy like that! The captain put his hand to his head as a wave of dizziness came over him. He'd been up for too long...but no, he couldn't rest until his ship was out of danger. He finally approached the quarreling engineers.

"There—why don't ye tell the captain you're idea?" The chief engineer crossed his arms over his chest, still staring at the ensign.

"Well, in theory, there have been cases of...tesseracts, particularly in space like this. _In theory_, we could create one of these...um...wrinkles, you could say, and use it to travel all the way back to Earth if we had to."

"But the power requirements _alone_...and the chances of even any sort of accuracy--!" Scott retorted, not even giving the captain a chance to analyze the situation himself. "It's just _not possible_!"

"Well it wouldn't hurt to try!"

"Aye, drain our power and strand us here in space, _that's_ all."

Kirk raised his eyebrows, looking back and forth between the two men. "Scotty, what are the chances...?"

"It's only theoretical captain, it's never even been tried—it's been deemed too dangerous."

"Yes but is there a _chance_ that it could work?"

Samandak finally cut in. "What about the Klingon ship? Can't we ask them to tow us back?"

Scott shook his head. "They've been hidin', radio silence and they've got beamin' shields active."

"Odd." Samandak said. "I'm going to go check on Mr. Spock. You boys have fun arguing physics down here." She waved over her shoulder and left, obviously eager to get away from the raucous.

Kirk turned his attention back to the situation at hand. "Scotty...I don't know what to tell you. I want my ship out of Romulan space, and I want it out fast."

"I'll give her all I can captain, but I can't guarantee nothin'." Scott replied.

Nodding, Kirk took his own leave, heading up to the bridge to—hopefully—update himself on the current situation.

-----

Spock vaguely remembered waking up in sickbay, vision foggy, body dreadfully sore. He remembered seeing the face of Nurse Chapel hovering over him...calling out to Dr. McCoy, and then smiling. His eyes drifted back closed, only to open again several hours later—at least by what his internal clock told him.

"Is he awake yet?" A soft voice came from across the room. He had a piece of a recollection, but it wasn't a familiarly friendly voice.

"I don't think so, let me go check." That was Christine's voice.

As his mind started to clear a tiny bit, Spock realized that he must be slightly drugged to have such a low level of comprehension. He clenched his eyes shut trying to clear his mind.

"Spock?" The nurse appeared over him, her voice gentle.

He opened his mouth to reply, but instead was overcome with a coughing fit. Christine helped him to sit up, and then gave him a glass of water.

Mouth lubricated, Spock tried again. His mind was becoming clearer. "Nurse Chapel, am I being medicated?"

"Yes Spock, some morphine for the--"

"Please do not continue the medication." It made thinking more difficult, which made controlling the pain...and his thoughts...difficult as well.

She didn't even ask twice, seeming to read his mind and completely understand his reasoning. "Of course, I should have thought of that." She smiled. "You feel well enough for visitors?"

"I believe I am quite well, nurse." He replied, nodding. He was recalling things better now...he'd awakened several hours ago...perhaps seven or eight, to help with the idea that Christine had brought back to sickbay.

She smiled. "Good. Samandak?"

As Dr. Samandak stepped into the room, Spock also realized who the other soft voice had been, and nodded to her respectfully. She returned the gesture from the door, and then made her way swiftly to where he lay.

"How are matters on the bridge?" He inquired.

"Not the best," Samandak replied, taking a chair. "We are very deep in Romulan space, though as fortune would have it, we have not been intercepted as of yet. However, we are extremely low on power, and we can not contact either of the Klingon vessels."

He absorbed the information for a moment, before turning to Chapel. "And your medical research?"

"We're not done quite yet," She replied. "But I think we've got it."

Spock nodded. "Good. I would appreciate if you would inform me when you are ready to test it."

Christine smiled, and the three fell silent for a few moments. She spoke again, "Spock...there's something _else_ we found out about the virus."

"Yes?"

She fidgeted in her seat, hands folded neatly but uncomfortably in her lap. "Prolonged exposure...creates a chemical reaction in the body...it acts somewhat like...like a pheromone."

"How long is prolonged?" Samandak asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"We're not sure yet," Christine told her, hesitantly. "It could be years, it could be days."

"Let's hope for the former." Samandak said, seriously, and Christine nodded.

-----

Samandak returned to her quarters, dead tired. The day had presented...not difficulties per se, but definitely stress on her mind. She knew that little sleep would be permitted, between her own anxieties and the knowledge that she must awaken early the following morning. She lay down on her pillow and was instantly overcome with the urge to fall asleep, but she knew that she couldn't sleep yet. She needed to wash, and arrange her papers and such. After a few moments, she hauled herself back up off of the bed and grabbed some soft, comfortable clothes, then made her way toward the bathroom. Samandak shed her apparel and stepped into a stream of hot water; it felt good against her tense muscles, and the steam helped clear her lungs and sinuses until she felt more relaxed than tired. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply, and allowed relaxing images to fill her mind. The day seemed less eventful now, the impending tasks not so worrisome. Perhaps tomorrow would even be filled with answers! Well...perhaps not. It never did hurt to hope, though.

As her mind drifted about in seemingly random thought, Samandak recalled the atmosphere in sickbay when Nurse Chapel had stopped in on Mr. Spock. It was a bitter sweet kind of feeling...a deep sorrow, a tinge of fear, some hope and regret...all stirred into one confusing mix.

Her eyes snapped open. She was sitting against the shower wall, lukewarm water running down the drain. She quickly stood up and turned the water off, shivering. How long had it been since she'd dozed off? Not long, she was sure. She glanced at the clock; about ten minutes. After she dried, she put on some soft sleepwear, dimmed the lights, and crawled into bed.

Perhaps _tomorrow_ she would not feel so fatigued.

* * *

**Author's Note: AHH I'M SORRY I TOOK SO LONG TO UPDATE ~dies~**

Basically there's been a lot of drama in my neighborhood lately...I don't really feel like talking about it (it's very tragic) and some stuff going on in my personal life...like planning for vacation and stuff. Don't worry, I'll have the story finished before I leave!...I think...

But anywho, I apologize for my lateness. Haha, I think a reviewer's comment about my "consistent updates" made me slack off...it's reverse psychology I tell you! Anyway, enjoy, I'll be getting to chapter 16..eventually. Just as soon as I figure out what to do about the Romulan situation...  



	16. Chapter 16

Kirk had just handed over the chair and was headed to lunch.

After a good night's sleep, or at least a portion of it, he felt much better about everything. He came upon Dr. Samandak in the mess hall, and she smiled and approached him.

"Captain," She began. "May I have a word with you over lunch?"

"Of course!" He replied. The two took a few items and seated themselves at a table.

Samandak sat straight and tall, looking a bit paler than she should, but not exactly sick. She spoke, "Captain Kirk, I would like to continue my work, if it is not a hindrance."

"Not at all, why do you ask?"

"Well, it seems to me that the crew is rather tired and unnerved in light of recent events, I was not sure if you--"

"It's fine, really." Kirk smiled reassuringly. He glanced at a clock up on the wall. After lunch he would head down to engineering, he decided.

The captain and the psychologist exchanged a few more words as the meal moved on, before Kirk finally excused himself and headed off to find Mr. Scott. He arrived in the engine room to see a good bustling amount of activity.

"Scotty?" He glanced around for his chief engineer, and found him brooding over a computer display. "Scotty, do you have something?"

"Aye, the calculations are almost complete sir. But..."

"But...what?"

Scott turned to the captain hesitantly. "The Klingons are transmittin' on a low-frequency channel...callin' for a quarantine."

"I don't see how--" Kirk didn't finish his sentence as he realized the implications of this news. If the Klingons truly were carrying a deadly virus, it could have been given to any one of the crew members that came in contact with them, or even sitting dormant on the Enterprise somewhere. "Thank you, Mr. Scott. I'll go talk to Dr. McCoy shortly. Now, about getting my ship out of Romulan space."

-----

Samandak had headed back to her quarters to have a look at the list that Captain Kirk gave her at the beginning of her voyage. So much had happened in the past few days, it made her really feel a part of the ship, like she'd been there far longer than she really had. Her list told her that another young ensign was next for evaluation, another more 'recently' joined crewman. Or woman in this case.

She still felt oddly tired...a sense of weariness that she just couldn't shake off. It had to be the stress. Samandak rubbed her temples and glanced at the clock; it was barely past noon. It almost felt like her body was fighting off an infection...perhaps she'd finally acquired the symptoms of the rash. She would step in and have a talk with Nurse Chapel or Dr. McCoy later, she decided.

Mind turning, Samandak sat down and examined the hundreds of papers upon her table. Reports that needed filling, filing, and sent in. And she wasn't even close to being halfway done. How could this much work have piled up so fast? Darn those vicious Klingons!

-----

"I assure you nurse, I am fine." It was the third time that Christine had tried to make Spock lay back down, even though he'd only been up working for two hours.

She pursed her lips defiantly and shook her head. The doors to sickbay opened, and footsteps could be heard approaching the table. The footfalls were the distinct pattern of Captain Kirk.

"Ah, Spock." He came into view, smiling. "Good to see you up and about. Where's Dr. McCoy?" Kirk turned to Christine with his question.

"He's in the back." She told him, motioning.

"Thank you." He nodded and stepped through another doorway.

Christine watched him for a moment, and then turned back to Spock. "What do you suppose is troubling him?"

"He did not seem troubled to me." Spock replied.

"He did to me." She didn't look up again as she continued to work.

-----

"Bones?"

Dr. McCoy looked away from a cabinet at his captain. "What's wrong, Jim?"

"When we were on that ship...there was something that concerned me."

"Nurse Chapel already told me." McCoy replied. "I don't know what it was, but believe me, it's _not_ on this ship."

Kirk looked at him sideways. "Are you sure?"

The doctor turned slightly. "Klingons and humans have completely different genetic makeup. Whatever that virus mutated into in the hands of the Klingons, it's not transmittable to us."

Captain Kirk still looked apprehensive. "What about Spock? I know that Vulcans and Klingons are related--"

McCoy shook his head. "No, it's something very specifically Klingon. I've done blood tests on everyone aboard this ship, I'd know if it was going to turn into some deadly flesh-eating disease."

The captain didn't look like he really believed him, but he did need something to grasp on to at that moment, so he nodded reluctantly. "If you say so, Bones."

"I do say so."

Kirk smiled. "How's Spock doing, anyway? How's he recovering?"

"Well that immune system of his fought off the infection almost immediately, I hardly even had to do anything. His body temperature's still higher than normal, though, I'd like to bring that down, and his heart rate's a little kooky, but I think he'll live."

"Thanks doctor."

McCoy nodded and then turned back to his search for something-or-other on the shelves of the sickbay pharmacy, and Kirk, satisfied but not convinced, turned to leave sickbay.

-----

Neither one of them was quite sure what happened. They'd just been sitting there, talking about the events of the past few days, comparing ideas and giving each other advice...and in the next moment, Christine's hand was just sitting there, on top of Spock's. And he couldn't move. He could barely even breathe...he had no idea what hit him.

He didn't avert his eyes from her face, neither did she, his. She may or may not have been about to say anything, when the captain came back through their section of sickbay. He seemed not to notice them at first, but did a double-take and stared for a moment. Both Christine and Spock resumed work quickly, their hands separating even sooner, both of them feeling blood rushing to their cheeks.

The captain moved through at a moderate pace, and Spock realized that he hadn't even stopped when he was looking at them, he'd just...scrutinized them while walking through the room. He stared at the table, waiting for Kirk to be out of the room, then cleared his throat, pushed his previous thoughts aside, and concentrated on the task at hand.

-----

Samandak's eyebrows drew into a concerned look when Ensign Melina broke into tears for the third time during their session. The young ensign had just lost her second husband to divorce, and Samandak diagnosed that she had a bit of free-floating anxiety and chemical depression. It was nothing that a few pharmaceuticals couldn't fix, it just hadn't been diagnosed yet.

"Doctor," Melina sobbed. "I just don't understand why--"

"Ensign," Samandak interrupted, and put a hand on the young woman's shoulder. "Look at me,"

She looked up.

"I want you to calm down, I want you to go to your quarters, and I want you to get some rest. A nurse will be down to check on you shortly, alright?"

She sniffed and nodded, and then gathered herself, dried her eyes, and left the room.

Samandak heaved a great sigh and let her head fall against the back of her chair. It was no wonder Vulcans eliminated emotion from the society, it could so control a person!

* * *

**Author's Note: UGH, this is the worst chapter EVER. Seriously, it's too short, too drab, and I HATE IT. But I think I've passed that little bout of writer's block.**

**Anyway...**

**I am SO sorry that it took so long. My brain TOTALLY died, and I couldn't figure out what to do about the situation, and besides that there was really no story to just trying to figure out how to get the ship out of Romulan space, you know? But I think I found my spices, now--OFF TO WRITE! ~evil cackle~**

**Hope you're enjoying the story so far!  
**


	17. Chapter 17

Captain Kirk exited the turbo lift onto the bridge—_his_ bridge. It sounded so nice in his mind, particularly in light of recent events. Concern ran rampant in his mind, more so than before. Minds were still flurried—even the captain could feel how nervous and edgy his crew was.

There was an odd, almost groaning sound, and the ground suddenly jerked from beneath Kirk's feet. He gripped onto the railing, bracing himself against the sudden toss, and then straightened. A few bridge personnel were on the ground, and some headsets had been knocked out.

The captain approached his chair and hit the intercom switch. "Engineering?"

"Engineering, captain."

"Scotty, what was that?"

"I'm not sure sir, one of our modifications must have jostled her a bit."

Kirk sat down, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Will it happen again?"

"No, captain. We're almost done down here, sir."

"Thank you, Scotty." He glanced around the bridge to make sure that nobody had been injured, and then switched the intercom back off. "Anything new on that quarantine signal, Uhura?"

"Nothing sir." She replied, smoothly. "It's been transmitting the same message on the same frequency since we spotted it."

Kirk sighed, shaking his head. "Does anything _normal_ ever happen in this place?"

-----

Samandak had had enough for one day. Her last appointment had been beyond stressful, the acting ensign snarling and shouting every other sentence. Once she'd dismissed him, she dimmed the lights in her quarters and brought out her guitar, a sure way of calming herself every time.

A buzz at the door interrupted her five minutes later, and she startled, then growled and stood up. "Lights on, full. Come!"

Standing on the opposite side of the door was Christine, excited. "I think we've got it!"

"Got what?" Samandak set the instrument on a stand in the corner of her room.

"The cure! We're not sure yet, but we're about to try it out and I thought you might like to be there."

"Um, yeah!" She grabbed her boots and quickly donned them, then followed Nurse Chapel to sickbay, where Dr. McCoy had rounded up Chekov, who'd removed his shirt, and them and Spock were waiting for Christine to return.

"Ready _yet_?" McCoy asked, steadily growing impatient.

Christine smiled. "Yes, doctor."

Samandak glanced over at Chekov, noticing the big red patch over his ribcage that marked the loathed disease. She cringed, grateful that she hadn't contracted it so far.

"Are you ready, Mr. Chekov?" The doctor had turned to the young ensign, who nodded confidently.

"Yes, sir!"

Samandak couldn't help but admire his enthusiasm.

"Nurse?" McCoy turned to Christine expectantly, and she nodded, acknowledging some silent request, and retrieved a small canister from a nearby table. She handed to Dr. McCoy, who was now wearing a pair of white medical gloves.

After he'd applied the new mixture, the group stood in silence, waiting for something to happen. Chekov looked thoughtful, but not concerned. Like he was deciding how he felt.

McCoy was the one to break the silence. "Well? Anything?"

Chekov looked down at the infection on his torso, then back up at the doctor and shrugged. "Nothing, sir."

"Well maybe that's a good thing," Samandak suggested. "At least it's not a negative effect." She tried to be optimistic, but the disappointment in the room seemed to be attempting to drown her.

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Chekov." Christine said, forcing a smile. "You may leave."

He nodded, standing up and snatching his shirt from a chair.

Once he was gone, Samandak sighed, and said "Well it's not like you're not getting somewhere! You got a reading, right?"

"Yeah, but it shows _nothin'_." McCoy grouched, and Samandak resisted the sudden urge to yank her hair out.

"Why don't you have him back in a couple of hours and see where that's gone?"

He glared at her. "Of course I'll have him back in a couple of hours!"

She became overwhelmed with the feeling that she was no longer welcome in sickbay, and excused herself.

-----

Spock made his way hastily toward engineering, savoring his first few moments of freedom from beneath Nurse Chapel's diligent watch. It wasn't that he wasn't grateful, or that he didn't admire her concern for his health, but there _was_ a crisis aboard the Enterprise and Mr. Scott _did_ need his help. Even at the moment, the first officer was calculating odds in his head, and was becoming more and more discouraged at each result.

He finally arrived in Engineering, and Scott was leaning over a display, behind which a young woman was seated with her arms cross, glaring in exasperation at the chief engineer.

"No, that just won't work!" Scott exclaimed, pushing himself off of the console and shaking his head. He spotted Spock near the entrance, and a look of relief washed over his features.

"There ya are! Maybe _you_ can figure this one out!" He shoved a tablet at the commander, who took it gingerly and examined it's contents.

A few moments of silence passed, Spock simply scrutinizing the work, before he spoke up, "This will not 'do' either, Mr. Scott. Please, allow me." He extended a hand, and Scott placed a long black stylus into his palm quickly.

Spock looked up to thank him. He was almost smiling, looking mostly just glad to be back in the engine room of his ship, with the science officer criticizing his work.

* * *

**Author's Note: ~runs around in circles screaming~ I AM SO SORRY I TOOK SO LONG!**

**Okay, I actually went on vacation...aaand it's been what, two months since last I updated? Yeah, quite some time, and I'm sorry. I hit a dead spot, and dead spot plus writer's block equals BAD. But now...I'm pretty much past the writer's block and the next few updates SHOULD be a bit more timely...at least until I hit another dead spot XD So for now ENJOY!  
**


	18. Chapter 18

"Please? Just a peek!"

Samandak laughed. Her and Mr. Scott were engaged in a conversation about her next literary work, and somehow he'd gotten it out of her that she was nearly finished with it.

"No!" She said, in a stern but playful tone. "I haven't even proofread yet! And it's not finished!"

"That's why I want ta see it!" He insisted, just as cheery.

"You are so stubborn!" She sighed. He continued to stare, wearing a pleading smile.

"..."

"...please?"

"Scotty..."

He raised both eyebrows, but didn't move otherwise.

"Okay, fine!"

The smile expanded. "Thank ye miss!"

She rolled her eyes, still smirking. Samandak knew that the consequences of giving in this one time would result in problems in the future, but at the moment she couldn't care less.

"This seat taken?"

Samandak looked up to see Captain Kirk; obviously his day was going a little less well than hers, but it stood to reason. The mess hall being reasonably quiet, Samandak was a bit surprised to see him there at all.

"Of course not, Captain!" She slid her drink over to make room for his lunch tray, and Kirk sat down as well.

"How are things on the bridge?" Scott asked.

"Same as before." Kirk replied. "Spock figured out why we can't hail that other ship, though."

Scott tilted his head to the side. "Oh?"

"Communications are down. We can't open any channels."

"That _would_ explain it," Samandak thought aloud. "The next question is; what do we do about it?"

"I was hoping you had an answer to that," Kirk said, looking across the table at the chief engineer.

"Aye, I was hopin' so too by this point." Scott replied. He didn't sound very optimistic.

"Any luck on those calculations?"

"A bit, sir, but not nearly enough. Once we get Mr. Spock down there, things should start movin' along right well."

"The commander sure is a busy man." Samandak muttered, with a sigh.

The shipwide com system whistled, and Uhura's soft voice flooded the speakers, "Captain Kirk to the bridge, please."

"So much for lunch." Kirk mumbled, setting his utensils down.

"Don't worry captain, we'll eat enough for you." Samandak assured him, smiling.

-----

Spock was already there when Captain Kirk stepped out of the turbolift on to the bridge.

"On screen," He said, without stopping to greet the captain. Priorities.

An image appeared on the main viewer, a large, familiar image; it was a Romulan War Bird.

"They're hailing us, sir," Uhura told him.

"Open a channel." Kirk said, straightening.

"I can't, sir," She responded, hesitantly. "Communications--"

"Are down, I know that." The captain hefted a sigh. "There's got to be a way we can communicate peace."

"They're telling us to lower our shields and prepare to be boarded," Uhura relayed. "Their sensors are picking up our power shortage."

"Not _again_," Kirk groaned. "Mr. Spock, do we have shield control?"

Spock stepped down from his post at the science station, next to the captain. "Not at this moment, sir. Lieutenant Reagen is addressing the problem, however it should be at least another hour."

"Why would the Klingons have raised our shields?" Sulu wondered aloud, staring in bewilderment at the War Bird on the display screen.

Chekov threw him a look that said, 'isn't it obvious?!' and mumbled something about Romulan space.

"They're powering weapons, sir!" Chekov exclaimed.

"Go to red alert!" Kirk ordered, but his crew was one step ahead of him.

-----

Samandak was standing outside of the sickbay when a red, flashing light filled her vision. Seconds later, the ground lurched from beneath her feet. Her first thought was engineering, but when the ship shook again, she realized that something must be going on up on the bridge. She attempted to orient herself, standing up and looking around for anyone who might be hurt, and the ship moved again. Samandak's hand flew up to the wall, and she braced herself firmly.

Sickbay doors slid open, and out stepped Dr. McCoy, looking irritated. "What the hell is going on?" He asked, looking at Samandak like she might know something.

Samandak raised her eyebrows and shrugged. "Red alert, then _bang_. I'm guessing either that Klingon ship decided to try and blow us up, or we intercepted a Romulan vessel."

He glared at her, like she'd stated the same thing six times. Samandak realized that she was probably stating the obvious—telepaths have a gift for that—but she couldn't understand his sourness.

Nurse Chapel came out behind him. She looked tired...her eyes were practically glazed over, and she was mumbling to herself. Samandak got the impression that the noise had awakened her from an at-work nap.

"The bridge," She finally said. "I'll be right back." Chapel headed toward the nearest turbolift, when it occurred to Samandak that the nurse was very confused.

"Christine?" She intercepted her, pulling her by the arm back out of the turbolift. She seemed to dance on air, gravity completely null. "Nurse Chapel, are you alright?"

"Of course I'm alright!" She replied. Her words were clear enough—even sounded determined. "I have to check on Spock!"

Samandak took a deep breath, completely overwhelmed at the swell of confusing thoughts coming from Christine. It was like she was thinking about everything...but not really pondering anything in particular. And the human brain just doesn't work like that.

"Oh no, the only place _you're_ going is sickbay." Samandak held on to Christine's arm and pulled her back toward Dr. McCoy, but in moments she'd slipped away and was headed back toward the turbolift.

"Nurse Chapel, please!"

"I can't—I have to find Commander Spock!"

Samandak bolted for the lift, but the doors had already closed, and by now it was already headed up toward the bridge.

"What's goin' on?" McCoy had moved from his position by sickbay and was now standing right behind Samandak.

"Something is _very_ wrong," She replied, nervously. "It was like she was sleep walking...but she was clearly awake. She was in a state of great confusion."

"She was actin' a little funny this morning," McCoy speculated. "I thought maybe she was just tired."

"Maybe she is," Samandak replied. "But she's also very determined. We've got to keep her off of the bridge."

"I've got that," McCoy strode back toward sickbay quickly, Samandak flanking him. "Sickbay to engineering!"

"I'm tryin' doctor!" Scott's voice came over the com.

McCoy shook his head. "I need you to stop turbolift 17 before it gets to the bridge!"

There was a moment of silence, and then, "Turbolift 17 is already _at_ the bridge, sir."

"Thank you Scotty," Samandak said, and headed back out the doors toward the lift again.


	19. Chapter 19

"Status report, Mr. Spock?" Kirk inquired.

"Still no shield control, captain." Spock replied, quickly. The ship lurched again, and Kirk clutched to the railing, growing frustrated with the constant jerking about.

The sound of the turbolift doors sliding open came from across the room, and Nurse Chapel walked confidently out onto the bridge, catching her balance with the rest of the crew at the next lurch. Kirk did a double-take; Christine didn't normally spend any time on the bridge. In fact, she was usually only present when specifically summoned.

"Spock!" She exclaimed.

"Yes, nurse?" Spock glanced at her quizzically, allowing confusion to play across his face. The ship lurched again, and he averted his gaze to the station. "Shields down to 5%, captain."

"Weapons are offline, sir." Sulu said.

"We're being hailed again, captain." Uhura exclaimed. "The Klingon ship, too!"

Christine bounced. "Spock, I need you to come with me right away!"

"Captain!"

"Sir, we're losing power on deck 12."

_Boom!_

"Shields offline, captain."

Kirk furrowed his eyebrows and closed his eyes, trying to sort the input. "Um...Sulu, do we have navigation?"

Sulu pressed a button on the display before him, "Yes sir."

"Go to--"

"Captain," Spock stepped down next to him. "If we move from this location, it will greatly interfere with--"

"Sir they are firing on the Klingon ship!"

And then, over the intercom, "Transporter room 3 to Bridge, we have a visitor--"

The voice was cut off and replaced by an older, gruffer voice, "This is Commander Tako of the Romulan ship Variable. You will surrender immediately!"

The turbolift whirred open again, and Dr. Samandak and Dr. McCoy stepped onto the bridge.

"Where's Nurse Chapel?" McCoy demanded, but spotted her almost instantly. She was hanging on Spock's arm, trying to pull him from the bridge, mumbling something about sickbay...among other things.

"Would you get her off my bridge?" Kirk growled.

"Captain, can you hear me? Surrender your ship, now!"

"_Yes dammit I can hear you!_"

"Captain, we're being hailed by--"

"It's—just...be quiet for a minute!" Kirk covered his ears and gritted his teeth, clenching his eyes shut. Too much was happening too fast!

He heard a faraway, "_Captain?"_ and felt a hand on his arm. He instinctively swiped out toward the voice, and opened his eyes in time to see Samandak stumbling backward from the blow.

She looked hurt for a moment, but all in a moment the look of shock faded from her face. She drew her arm back, and Kirk was brought around by sharp pain across his face. He was angry at first, but one glance at Samandak and he realized that he could think a little clearer.

"Thank you, doctor."

"Not at all, captain." Her tone was completely blank, like she'd simply handed him a report.

There was a peculiar sound, followed by three shadows on the bridge. In a moment the shadows were revealed to be three Romulans, phasers aimed. Somehow Samandak seriously doubted they were on the _stun _setting.

"You will surrender this vessel to us, we have you surrounded." One of them stated.

"Captain," came the voice of Mr. Scott from engineering, "we're ready!"

"You're timing is a little off, Scotty," replied Captain Kirk.

"How's that, sir?"

The bridge crew was completely silent for a moment.

"Tell him to standby," another of the Romulan officers said. "We will have two operatives in engineering in a matter of moments."

Samandak glanced over at Spock, who gave a critical look to his captain. Kirk stared at the Romulan, then looked to his first officer. It was only a slight twitch, but Samandak had been around Spock enough to know that he was nodding his approval.

Approval for what? She was no doubt only _moments_ from finding out.

"Of course." Kirk glanced around the bridge, then back at the officer. "Mr. Scott...engage!"

Samandak read the cue; she ducked down, grabbing Christine by the uniform and throwing her to the floor as phaser fire erupted across the bridge. Sulu tackled one of the firing Romulans and yanked the weapon from him, the discharge harmlessly redirected toward the ceiling. The two others turned their own weapons on him, and Sulu aimed back and fired. The entire ordeal was over in a matter of 15 seconds.

On the floor of the bridge now lay two dead Romulans. The third was on his knees with his hands over his head.

Kirk lent the helmsman a triumphant smile. "Good work, Mr. Sulu."

"It was nothing, sir."

The ship gave a lurch, then a bump. But it felt different than weapon's fire, more like an old-fashioned car driving over a speed bump.

"Mr. Scott what's going on down there?" Inquired Kirk over the intercom system.

"Good news, captain," Scotty replied. A smile floated over communications on his voice. "We're back in Federation space!"

Kirk smiled wider. "That is good news. Mr. Spock let's get a security detail down to transporter room 3 and make sure our men are alright."

"Spock!" Christine exclaimed, pulling herself from the floor and stumbling toward the first officer.

"Whoa whoa," Samandak grabbed Christine by the arm. "I'm sorry Captain, she's acting very odd, I'll get her back to sickbay."

"You do that."

Arrangements could be heard being made as Samandak pulled the reluctant nurse again toward the turbolift with assistance from Dr. McCoy.

They arrived on deck 5 and McCoy stated, "She feels feverish."

"I thought it might just be the stress," Samandak said.

"Is this a dream?" Asked Chapel.

Samandak put a hand to the nurse's head. "No, Christine, it's not a dream. Just calm down, the doctor and I are going to give you something to make you feel better, alright?"

They arrived in the sickbay and had Christine lay down on a medical cot. McCoy picked up a tricorder and ran it over her a couple of times. He studied the data.

Samandak felt relief wash over him.

"She has the borghel flu," said McCoy.

"...what's that?"

"It's a Klingon version of the bird flu," He explained.

"I'm sorry to be a bother, but...the bird flu? I thought that was eliminated on Earth over 300 years ago?"

McCoy nodded. "It was. But she picked up a dormant element when you were on the Klingon ship, and her immune system reacted. She should be fine by tomorrow. I'll make something to help her fight the virus." He walked over to a desk and pushed a few things aside.

"So she'll be fine? I can go?"

"Yes," the doctor replied, "you can go."

"It's Spock," Christine groaned, "the rash. He can fix it!"

"I know," said Samandak. "I know he can." She patted Christine on the arm, then bounced out of sickbay to check up on the rest of the crew.


	20. Chapter 20

The U.S.S. Enterprise had arrived in Federation space, now safe and unharmed.

Unfortunately, they were still light years away from a Federation outpost, and their warp core had been damaged during the encounter with the Romulans. Bigger problems than that hung over their heads as well. They currently had two Romulan officers in custody, and they were vastly unhappy, chattering on about how the Federation had committed the first act of war between their peoples, and t_he Romulan empire wouldn't settle until their officers were back on Romulus, and just wait until they learned of the murder of two of their soldiers!_

Spock himself felt completely uneffected by these remarks, save for a few reservations about what kind of trouble may have been caused, of course, but the rest of the crew seemed uneasy.

Other than being stranded in the middle of an unpopulated area with no warp drive and little power left, things were actually looking quite positive. There was no Klingon Bird of Prey shadowing them, the Romulans were nowhere to be seen, and life support was in good working order. Most importantly, the crew was together and safe. It was just a matter of repairing communications and then waiting for a rescue. The engineering team had actually had quite a bit of success in that department, so there was no logical reason for the crew to be uneasy.

Still, recent events must have been quite unsettling. Spock was sure he would never regard the Klingons quite the same. Romulans? They were well within their rights. Two aliens ships encroached uppon their territory and then refused to respond to all attempts at peace. That assessment, however, did not prevent Spock's fellow officers from gossipping and cursing in frustration.

"Commander Spock?" Samandak was headed toward him, a look of concern faintly evident on her face.

"Yes, doctor?"

"Just making sure everything's okay—everyone in engineering is alright?"

"No one was damaged," he replied. "How is Nurse Chapel?"

"Dr. McCoy says she'll be fine, but she keeps asking for you."

For no reason at all, Spock felt his face grow suddenly warm. Maybe life support had been affected after all. "For what reason?"

"Apparently you can 'fix it'."

"Fix what?"

Samandak shrugged. "She's...confused. Got a fever and that rash thing is making her...a little feisty."

"I see. Then perhaps I should pay her a visit."

"Perhaps. I'm going to check in with the bridge, make sure the captain's not inclined to kill anyone."

"I beg your pardon?"

Samandak glanced down the corridor, and then lowered her voice. She said, "Nurse Chapel is suffering from a case of the borghel flu, and apparently it's a side effect of that rash that's been plaguing everyone. It doesn't have any permanent effects, but it's the before stage of a major hormonal imbalance. There's been very few actual studied cases, and from what we can tell it effects every individual uniquely. By the way, if you start to feel a little dizzy, you should report to sickbay." She patted him on the shoulder and took off down the corridor.

Spock quirked an eyebrow and watched her for a moment, before turning to his previous course toward the turbolift. _Psychologists,_ he decided, _are not meant to be understood._

-----

Samandak arrived on the bridge, looking around for Captain Kirk. Last she'd heard he had reported to engineering to see the adjustments Mr. Scott had made to their propulsion system, but that was two hours ago and it stood to reason that he would want to be on the bridge at this time.

Sure enough, there he was, seated in the captain's chair in the middle of the floor. His elbow was placed on the armrest, hand on his chin contemplatively, as if he believed he could solve all of the problems in the world if he sat there long enough.

"Good evening!" She greeted, announcing her presence. Nobody looked up. That didn't particularly bother her, and she made her way down toward the captain. "Everything alright, sir?"

"Hmm?" He looked up. "Oh, yes, doctor. How are things aboard my ship?"

She smiled. "If you mean the crew, they'll be fine. A little shaken, but they'll be fine."

"Of course they will. They're the best in Starfleet."

"Aye, captain."

"So, what's the real reason you came up here?" Kirk adjusted in his seat to have a more comfortable view of the psychologist.

"To check up on you."

"Check up on...me?"

"Yes sir."

"Were you worried?"

"You could say that."

"Ah-huh." He was quiet a moment. "Well, that's a very nice sentiment." He looked again at the viewscreen.

Samandak glanced at her shoes. "I suppose I should leave you to your job." She nodded to herself and spun about, then exited the bridge.

-----

In sickbay, Spock inquired about the progress Dr. McCoy had made in his development of a new formula for the serum, after which his inquiry lead to Nurse Chapel.

"She's just got a little fever," Dr. McCoy assured him. "Come back tomorrow and you'll never know she was sick."

"Dr. Samandak has informed me that this could be a more serious side effect," Spock explained.

"You know women," McCoy grumbled, "they tend to exaggerate."

"I heard that!" Exclaimed Christine from a few feet behind them.

"How do you know that wasn't the point?" Retorted the doctor.

"She seems rational to me," Spock observed.

McCoy scoffed. "At the moment."

"That's because I _feel_ fine!" Christine hopped off the cot. She was wearing a broad smile, which, combined with the mussed state of her hair and clothes, bore the air of slight dimentia.

"You're not _fine_," McCoy told her, standing up. "You're a very sick woman, now lay back down."

Christine pushed him away. "You just said I was going to be 'quite alright'," she argued, "are you changing your prognosis?"

"No, but you're not going to be 'quite alright' if you don't lay right back down."

"It's okay doctor," An intent stare from her rested on Spock's face and would not be averted. "I think I found the cure."

"The cure for what?" Asked Spock. If any time was appropriate for getting to the bottom of this situation, it was now.

"That darn mutant disease," Christine took several steps closer to the first officer. "It's you, Spock. You're the cure."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Copper. The inhibitor. Combine that with vitamin E oil, it keeps the dead skin from drying out, which is what the virus was living on. Copper kills it, and vitamin E starves it."

"An odd but interesting theory," Spock muttered, raising an eyebrow. "What led you to that assumption?"

"You and Dr. Samandak, despite high exposure, have not contracted the rash. You're the only two on this ship with green blood."

Spock nodded. "A logical conclusion."

Christine gave a giggle. It began to register in Spock's mind just how close she was standing, moments before she took a very odd course of action. Her arms locked around his neck and her lips suddenly connected with his. It caught the first officer slightly off guard, and he stumbled backward into Dr. McCoy's desk, barely managing to catch himself, palms against the desk top.

McCoy himself stood silently, jaw agape and eyebrows raised in surprise.

After Spock caught his balance, he pushed himself forward and put his hands on Christine's shoulders. He held her away from him.

"Nurse Chapel," he mumbled, his gravelly voice intensified by stress, "this is entirely improper conduct."

Christine laughed. "Mmmm...but I want you, Spock," She tried to push herself onto him again. Her resolve proved to be quite forceful. Her adrenaline levels must have been elevated. That was the only way to account for her heightened strength level. She twisted her arms from his grip and grabbed his wrists.

Dr. McCoy took several steps backward, showing at least an inkling of foresight.

Up went Spock's arms, and then backward went his body, slammed into the desk by Christine. Again she smothered him. Spock tensed his muscles, attempting to push away the shock and focusing his strength on freeing his arms. It took a moment, but he managed to sit up. Still, the nurse's mouth remained attached to his like a magnet.

-----

The incident that Dr. Samandak walked in on in sickbay was definitely one for her personal log. Was she really seeing this?

There was Commander Spock, a sturdy, Vulcan male struggling under the passionate romantic grip of Nurse Chapel—a small human female driven apparently only by sheer will. Samandak wondered if she'd finally gotten sick of waiting for him to notice her. This was probably the wrong way to go about demanding his attention, but it seemed fairly effective. At least for the moment being.

For a few seconds Samandak pondered whether to just leave now and let things play themselves out or assist the seemingly-distressed first officer. It was a slightly humorous scene, all things considered.

She entered sickbay as Spock sat up and tried to push Christine away from him. Honestly anyone who could subdue any Vulcan, even someone who's physiology wasn't pure, was quite frightening. Samandak placed her hand on the back of Nurse Chapel's neck, inclined her fingers in slightly, and pinched feircly.

The nurse crumpled and Samandak caught her before she could hit the floor. She gave an amused look to Spock, who looked more embarrassed than irritated. His cheeks were flushed dark green.

"Thank you." Spock recomposed himself and then stated, matter-of-factly, "She claims to have discovered the solution to the ailment aboard the Enterprise."

"Oh, I see." Samandak nodded. Spock's complexion brightened. Dr. McCoy placed Chapel back on her biobed, shaking his head with a smile.

"I believe my talents would best serve on the bridge," said Spock.

Samandak quirked an eyebrow. "Okay. After your shift, may I have a word with you?"

"Of course."

She nodded and Spock left the sickbay.


	21. Chapter 21

No duties for a few hours. This, Samandak reasoned, would be a good time for a nap. She hated to miss happenings on board the ship, but she was ridiculously tired. She must have passed out much quicker than she believed, because one moment she was laying down to sleep, and the next her door chime was sounding and the clock informed her that two and a half hours had passed.

Samandak sat up and rubbed her eyes, glanced in the mirror and smoothed her hair and uniform, then said, "Come!"

The door slid open and there stood Spock.

"You requested a word with me?"

"What? Oh, yes." She cleared her throat. "Come in." She had been perfectly intent on giving him this speech when she asked him to see her...now, her blood had cooled down, and she wasn't sure if she could make herself say it. "Make yourself comfortable."

In an apparently customary irritating fashion, Spock 'made himself comfortable' by standing, hands clasped behind his back, feet parted at shoulder's width. Samandak mirrored his stance and put on her most serious face.

"Commander Spock, as ship's counselor it is my duty to bring to light anything that may be affecting the mental abilities of the crew."

"Indeed." Responded Spock. He was silent, waiting for her to continue.

Samandak took a breath and hesitated. "Spock, when I first came on to the Enterprise, you were unaware of my Betazoid heritage. Your mental barriers were...less closed."

"I would appreciate if you would come to the conclusion of this speech," said Spock.

"Yes," Samandak nodded understandingly. She tried to push aside human inhibitions and get straight to the point, Vulcan mind coming forward. "You need to accept how you feel about Nurse Chapel."

"Excuse me?"

Samandak paced, trying to properly phrase her next words. She'd planned out the conversation earlier that day, but in real life it was much more difficult to make herself say half the things she thought. "I could detect your feelings toward her, early in my visit."

Spock tilted his head slightly and looked at Samandak. "As a member of Vulcan heritage, doctor, you should be well aware that Vulcans quest their entire lives to suppress emotion."

"That's the Vulcan in you speaking," she replied. "Look...I know that you probably think I haven't known you long enough to be speaking to you like this, but I do know you, Spock. Your half-human mind doesn't work like clockwork, and sometimes you aren't as alert as you could be. It's not a bad thing at all! But it has allowed me insight into your situation. You already _know_ how she feels about you. You feel the same way." She looked down and took a step closer, her voice mellowing. "I'm not asking you to admit anything, Spock. I'm not asking you to waltz into sickbay and declare your love for Christine, I'm not even asking you to pursue a relationship with her. What I'm asking you to do is accept it. In your mind. Allow yourself to feel something for her. Allow the man in your veins to believe it." She placed cupped hands on his cheeks, looking only slightly up to make eye contact. "For once, Spock, allow yourself to love." There. She'd done it.

Spock was very silent. Behind his deep, dark brown eyes could be seen thought.

"Nobody has ever phrased it in quite that way," he breathed.

"Don't do anything," Samandak said, "but think about it. Having unspoken emotions won't harm a Vulcan, but you're half human. Unrequited feelings could potentially destroy you." She allowed her hands to fall back to her sides.

He stared for a few moments, then Spock turned around and left quickly.

Samandak sighed. She hoped he'd given him something to think about. It was so hard to read him...was he just going to go back to his quarters, sleep, and ignore everything she said? Most likely. She'd learned to expect that from her patients. Especially Vulcans. Damn logic.

-----

Early the next morning Samandak awakened at least an hour at least before her alarm went off, but all sleep was gone from her system. After a shower and change, she pinned up her hair and straightened her workspace. Today she planned on getting back to work, stranded or not. She had absolutely no intention of spending two extra weeks on this spaceship. She was due for a vacation once this assignment was over, and Maneria was calling.

She grabbed her PADD and checked her list; it was still painstakingly long. Ensign Jonas, Yeoman Rand, Lieutenant Commander Kneck. Maybe she would just take three people today. She could do five, but sometimes quality is better than quantity. Especially when it comes to psychological evaluations.

_Breakfast_, thought Samandak. Breakfast would be good. She took a few more minutes to arrange her desk and quarters, slid a slender black stylus behind her left ear, and headed toward the mess hall.

It was very quiet for a half an hour before the shift change. Three ensigns sat at a table, chatting quietly. Samandak approached a replicator, inserted her order, and waited a moment for it's availability.

"Dr. Samandak," Lieutenant Kalry acknowledged on his way past.

Samandak smiled at him. "Good morning, lieutenant."

"Would you join me for dinner?"

"Don't you mean breakfast?"

He shook his head. "Just worked the night shift."

"Of course," Samandak laughed and found a suitable table.

----

There was still fifteen minutes before Spock was due on the bridge. Properly spent, fifteen minutes was actually plenty of time to accomplish something. He'd arrived in sickbay and was waiting for Dr. McCoy.

The human sense of "punctuality" was maddening.

Two and a half minutes late, the doctor arrived and there stood Spock, hands ever so casually behind his back, face blank as ever.

"Good morning, doctor." He said.

McCoy just quirked an eyebrow and "hmmphed". He must not have slept well the previous night.

"Have you made any progress in--"

"Yes." Interrupted McCoy. "In fact Christine may have solved the entire mystery."

"I see. What was the conclusion?"

"Copper'll kill the thing. I tested it last night, and it gobbled it up like a rabid tribble."

"That is good news. How is Nurse Chapel?"

"Better now." A devious smirk played across Dr. McCoy's face. "Just needs some sleep, what with that ordeal you two put up in here yesterday..."

Spock refrained from a comeback. "Also good news." He turned to leave.

"Where you goin' now?!"

Spock stopped and again faced the doctor. "I am due on the bridge in ten minutes."

"Uh-huh." McCoy nodded. "Any news on communications?"

"Mr. Scott and Lieutenant Uhura are working on it," replied Spock.

"Was it really that bad?"

"Bad, but not hopeless. We should be, to use a human term, 'back in business' within the next four hours."

"Good."

Spock nodded and again dismissed himself. Making his way to turbolift 17, Spock allowed his mind to wander momentarily back to the previous night.

What had Samandak meant when she said he needed to "accept the way he felt about Nurse Chapel"? Spock did not experience any feelings toward her. Yes, he had been quite aware of her demeanor toward him, but that had never effected their relationship. Then again, perhaps that was what the doctor had meant. Spock often found that if he concentrated on not thinking about something long enough, he could make it not so. On the other hand, he could also convince himself of anything if he allowed himself to begin believing it. That was quite rare, but he had done it on a few occasions. It was a very effective survival technique.

Perhaps they would be rescued soon, and he would not be forced to seriously ponder the issue.


	22. Chapter 22

Communications seemed to be back up. Lieutenant Uhura was at this very moment attempting to send a message back home.

"The nearest Federation outpost is...27 lightyears away." She reported.

"Twenty-seven?" Asked Kirk. "Which one?"

"Berenices,"

"Berenices? It's practically abandoned!"

"Yes, sir."

"Are they sending someone?"

"One moment,"

In his state of observation, Spock also noticed Helmsman Sulu enter the bridge. Yes, Spock's shift had ended an hour ago, but there was nowhere else he would be suited on the ship and bridge personnel was short at this moment.

"A ship will arrive for us tomorrow at 10:00 hours," Uhura told the captain.

"Tomorrow? It doesn't take that long to travel 27 light years," Kirk commented.

Uhura was quiet a moment. "Apparently Berenices does not have a freighter capable of towing the Enterprise back."

"We're not that badly damaged,"

"Relaying."

This kind of back-and-forth could last for a very long time, and in the end they would still no doubt be awaiting a freighter at 10:00 tomorrow. Now, decided Spock, would be a good time to end his shift. Ensign Chekov was available to fill his post and had been standing about boredly for the past hour, no doubt waiting for Spock to abandon the science station so he could take over. Now would be the time to indulge that.

Spock would head to sickbay and check on Nurse Chapel. Hopefully Dr. McCoy had been using some of Christine's observations as a platelett for a new serum to cure this infectous...whatever it was. The rash that was rumored now to be of Klingon origin.

Upon arriving in sickbay, Spock was pleased to find Christine up on her feet again, working across from McCoy. On the table sat many open vials, lids scattered from one end to the next, petri dishes littering their workspace.

_Human slovenliness_, whined Spock inside his mind, _unbecoming for Starfleet officers_.

Keeping his disdain to himself, masking it instead with his enthusiasm to resume work, Spock asked about their progress.

"I think we might actually have something," exclaimed McCoy, wearing an excited smile.

Nurse Chapel looked equally pleased. "The copper by itself doesn't do much of anything, but when you mix it with vitamin E and an acetone derivative it's the perfect cure!"

"Now nurse, let's not jump to conclusions," McCoy interrupted. "We don't know anything for certain."

"I take it you have made excellent progress, then?" Asked Spock.

"Sure looks like!" McCoy replied.

"When will you be ready to test it?"

"Tonight, tomorrow morning at the latest."

Spock nodded slowly and refrained from commenting on the messy condition of their work area.

Christine looked down and fiddled with a few instruments. "Spock, can I have a word with you?"

"Of course," he replied.

McCoy stood up and gathered a few things. "I needed to clean up anyway, I'll be next door." He left the room swiftly.

Christine stood up, slowly. "Spock...I wanted to apologize for my behavior yesterday. It was completely inappropriate, and I'm sorry."

Subconsciously, the words of Dr. Samandak traveled to the front of Spock's mind. He pushed them away and took what he hoped was a casual step forward. "You can not be held responsible for your actions. You were ill, under the influence of an alien virus."

"Just an excuse," the nurse shrugged in exasperation. "I'm sorry. Could you just forgive me?!"

"The human need for forgiveness confuses me," Spock commented.

Christine laughed. "Us humans. A confusing lot altogether, wouldn't you say?"

Spock quirked an eyebrow. "I suppose so. Very well, if it will make you happy; I forgive you."

"It will." Christine smiled.

"If you'll excuse me," mumbled Spock, "I believe I am overdue for lunch."

Christine brushed her hands off on her uniform and said, "Well I was just finishing up in here, mind if I join you?"

For no logical reason at all, Spock felt his chest grow warm. "I do not see any reason why not."

"Okay! You go on ahead without me, I'm just gonna clean up in here, I'll catch up!"

He nodded and left as Christine commenced 'cleaning up'.

-----

Four appointments. Samandak was proud of herself. It was just after lunch, and already she'd made one more appointment than she'd had planned that day.

At the current moment Samandak was headed down to engineering, digital PADD in hand. She'd promised Lieutenant Commander Scott a copy of her latest rough draft, and she wasn't about to break that promise. When she arrived it was fairly quiet, a few engineers crouched over consoles. Mr. Scott himself didn't seem very occupied, staring blankly at a screen as if he were waiting for it to do a trick.

"Evening!" She greeted.

Scotty immediately looked up. A smile crossed his face. "A pleasant one, I hope, doctor?"

"Very! I brought you something," Samandak said, holding the tablet out for examination.

Scott took it, eyes skimming the screen. "Why...thank you! I wasn't expecting this for another week!"

Samandak shrugged. "I lied about my progress. I was almost done. Now there's bound to be spelling and grammar errors, mind you I hadn't planned on showing it to anyone for two more months."

"I won't tell," said Scotty, with a wink.

"Good!" Samandak took the seat nearest the engineer. "You have to tell me exactly what you thought. And don't be nice, tell me the truth!"

Scotty laughed. "I don't think I've seen any of your work that I didn't like." He paused. "Except for maybe that ditty you published back on...1502.3?"

"Oh! Ick!" Samandak's face flushed green. "The Clockwork?"

"That's the one!"

"Stardate 1507.3. And that was _awful_," Samandak shook her head. "The deepest, darkest, sickest pit of my writing career. I thought publication on that one was stopped midway."

"It was," Scotty smirked, "but I know someone who knows someone."

"That was three years ago," Samandak said, cynically, "how did you even find it?"

"Let's just say that bad literature is a hobby of mine,"

Samandak scoffed and gave him a gentle punch in the arm. "I'll remember that next time I send something that I don't like to a publisher."

"Aye, but I'll still get my hands on it,"

Samandak laughed. "We'll see!"

-----

Captain Kirk was finally taking a few minutes for himself. After a game of ring-around-the-rosie with Starfleet, Kirk had resigned his bridge shift to a Lieutenant who he'd been promising a command for some time. He was fairly inexperienced, but he needed to practice and they were in a fairly safe situation off in the middle of Federation space.

Jim's stomach was literally growling as he charged toward the mess hall. There was a turkey sandwich in the replicator with his name written all over it. One step through the sliding doors, Kirk took in his surroundings, and then raced for the nearest unoccupied replicator. At a decent 'walking' pace, of course.

Once he had his sandwich, Jim scoped out a table in a little unoccupied corner of the mess hall. Over lunch, Kirk observed the other members of his crew. They were all eating and conversing...mingling. He had very little first-hand experience mingling with this particular crew, it wasn't the captain's job to be friends with everybody. In fact, part of the duty of being a captain in Starfleet meant fairly distancing yourself from those under your command. There were a few instances where that was nearly impossible.

Dr. McCoy was his friend, and nothing, not even the captain's chair, could change that. Spock was the Captain's friend on a very different level. The obnoxious Vulcan first officer of his could easily maintain diplomacy and a professional air despite personal relationships.

Speaking of Spock, was Jim imagining things, or was that same Vulcan officer eating lunch with Nurse Chapel across the mess hall? It wasn't unusual to see Spock sitting at a table with two or three other crewmen, but he'd never seen him and Christine together before, not unless it was absolutely neccessary.

To be entirely blunt, it wasn't exactly a secret that Christine Chapel quite fancied the science officer. But she, like Spock, and Kirk himself, distanced herself from the rest of the crew to keep as professional as possible. That hardly kept her from experiencing human emotion. Apparently, that barrier was beginning to fail for Spock as well.

The temptation of gossip would no doubt be overwhelming here. Kirk himself had no issues with refraining from rumor-spreading, but the Enterprise was a complicated social system, half of it honestly built on friendship. If anything else developed between Spock and the nurse, things could no doubt get quite interesting in the next few months.


	23. END

"It's about bloody time!" Were Scotty's first words to the rescue team that boarded the Enterprise. It was five minutes past the promised 10:00, and that was plenty of time for the chief engineer to stew.

"Mr. Scott," remprimanded the captain, a look on his face that spoke half-critically and half-amused.

"Sorry, captain." Scotty resigned himself to reluctantly assisting the skeleton crew aboard the rescue vessel.

Kirk shook his head and smiled to no one in particular. He was just in that _smile at yourself_ kind of mood. It was time to head back to the bridge to make sure everything was running smoothly up there...but first, he would make a stop on deck five and pop in sickbay to see how Dr. McCoy's treatment was progressing.

"Jim, I'm glad your here!" Bones was enthusiastic when the captain arrived at the sickbay doors. "I think we've got something."

Kirk was extremely tempted to ask, 'Who's your victim this time?' but, instead, said, "Oh? Let's hear it!"

"Well Christine actually got the idea...Spock and that Vulcan psychiatrist are both immune to this thing, which brought us to try using copper as an antedote. It worked at first, but the virus seemed to...sort of...migrate away. But when we added oil it-"

"Bones," Kirk raised an eyebrow at his cheif medical officer.

"Hmm?" McCoy was quiet a moment. "Oh, sorry. Anyway, every petri-dish test we've run has shown positive results. The treatment may take time, but we think it'll work."

"That's wonderful...how soon do you think you can test it on a person?"

McCoy wrung his hands, smiling wide. "That's why I'm glad you're here. I was hoping..."

Jim's smile faded. "...you want me to try it for you, don't you?"

"It's perfectly safe, Jim, I assure you-"

"Say no more, Bones." Kirk smiled, reluctantly. "I've got a few more minutes to spare."

One form after another. Sometimes Spock found the human need to document every breath and blink of a mission tiring. Or perhaps tiring was the wrong word. Boring? Repetetive? Overdone?

However, with nothing really going on on the bridge and Jim late for his shift again, a little paperwork was a good time filler. Did it technically qualify as paperwork if it was done on digital tablets?

Spock looked about the bridge and tried not to sigh. He never allowed his mind to wander like this while he was on duty. Try as he might to convince himself that it wasn't a tecnique for distracting himself, he couldn't help but think that he was honestly just trying not to think about Nurse Chapel.

He was _Vulcan_. His mind was ruled by logic, not emotions. His thoughts were ruled by him, not his subconscious. He turned back to the PADD and began filling out another form.

So if he was so logic-centered...why did he keep seeing Christine when he blinked? Why was he particularly irritated with the captain for not arriving to relieve him of duty on time? Kirk was always late. This was something that Spock had never been pleased with. But, he had to admit, he'd learned to live with it.

It was definitely not because he wanted to return to sickbay. He didn't even want to be in sickbay, he wanted to be in the mess hall. He hadn't eaten since lunchtime the day before, and he hadn't slept since the day before that.

That was the answer right there. Spock could go several days without food or rest, but he wasn't impervious to fatigue. That must be what was affecting his thought pattern. His mind wasn't wandering, he was simply pondering irrelevant things.

So now it was time to prioritize. Christine came after duty, and duty dictated that Spock finish these reports and then get some rest. Logic dictated that, in order to do that, he had to stop thinking about his mental state and just get the work done.

_Technical difficulties_. Starfleet's excuse for not getting a job done properly and on-time was always _technical difficulties_. Which, in Scotty's opinion, wouldn't be such a huge issue if Starfleet would hire more competent engineers!

Of course, it wasn't his place to say, so he didn't. He simply assigned his own, more competent staff to assist in repairs and the like. They were eager to help. Certainly everyone was ready to get back home and take a break, even if only for a short time.

"Good news," announced Captain Kirk, moments after walking onto the bridge and calling the attention of it's personnel, "our wonderful doctor has found the solution to our problems." He was wearing an elated smirk.

"That's wonderful news, captain!" Chekov exclaimed from the helm.

"He's begun treatment, everyone take a look at the roster and see when you're up." He strode to his chair to relieve Spock of duty, at which the first officer promptly—almost hastily—exited the bridge. He knew that Spock would never say it out loud, but Kirk suspected that fatigue, that ever-persistent blend of exhaustion and boredom, may be getting to the commanding scientist. It had been a long week and a particularly disinteresting day. Even the captain was feeling a sense of fatigue, and he quite suspected that he'd had more rest and nutrition than Spock. The worst part was, the day was only shaping up to be more tedious and humdrum. The crew would survive, of course, but by the end they were more likely than not to _wish_ they were dead.

Spock moved swiftly for his quarters. His plan was, of course, to get a few hours' sleep before heading to sickbay to monitor the progress of Dr. McCoy.

That he'd had less of a hand in developing a cure, Spock was not thrilled. His desire had been to provide the key ingredient. Looking back, it was an odd thing to want. A cure discovered by Dr. McCoy, Nurse Chapel, or Yeoman Rand for that matter, was just as effective and qualifying as a cure discovered by himself.

This of course led him back to his previous self-held discussion, and he resolved not to ponder it any longer. When Spock arrived at his quarters, he was a touch surprised to find Christine Chapel standing outside of them, about to press the buzzer.

"Nurse," he greeted, quietly as not to startle her.

Christine turned about, wearing a smile. "Spock!" She greeted. "I thought you'd be asleep by now! Have you heard the good news?"

"Indeed, I have," he replied. "After I meditated I had planned on asking what the main ingredient for the cure was. Since you're here, I may as well inquire; what was the solution?"

"It was copper!" She explained to him the process through which her and Dr. McCoy had concocted their formula, an excited string of details and 'if it hadn't been for you's.

If Spock were human, he may have found this excitement of hers endearing. As it were, he found it...amusing, at best. But in no way did he wish her to stop speaking, and when she announced that she was needed back in sickbay, Spock found himself disappointed.

"I have no desire to keep you from your duties," it almost felt like a lie to speak, but it wasn't. While he did, in at least some respect, wish her to say, he did not in fact want to keep her from where she was needed. Such logic resolved within his mind, he passed her toward his door and keyed it open.

"Spock,"

Christine's voice gave him pause. A certain tone of incompletion rang in the way she said his name, and he turned about, slowly.

"Yes, nurse?"

Now something must have given her pause, because she shrugged with an, "Oh, nothing." But rather than walk away, she stood and stared at the ground in silence.

He overcame his natural habit of calling her by her title, and instead, said, "Christine, your tone and posture would imply that you have something further to say."

She took a deep breath. "You're right. Spock...I want to try again. No drugs, no fever, no alien virus...it's something we never talked about, and I think we need to." She stepped toward him. "I don't say this lightly. I want to try and..." her words trailed off, hands gestured, complexion reddened, "be together. But for reals this time. Coming purely from me."

Spock stepped away from his open door, allowing it to slide shut and attempting to indicate that he wasn't being made to feel awkward. "Do you believe that persuit of a relationship between two senior officers on board Starfleet's flagship would be appropriate?" It was a completely honest question. Spock had absolutely no experience with such a situation. And, since he was being honest, this was the first time he'd been willing to try it.

But Christine must have taken the question another way, because she again averted her gaze and took a retreating step. "I—I don't know," she mumbled. "It was just..." she shrugged. "I'm sorry. You're probably tired."

"Christine," Spock took her gently by the arm and lifted her chin with one finger so that their eyes met. "I am willing," he said, in a low, even tone, "to try. If our attempt is unsuccessful, however, you must make a promise to me and to yourself to not allow it to hinder your work or social life." He wore a look of utter sincerity, but across Christine's face flashed a smile.

"Oh, Spock!" She sounded excited, but kept her volume at an acceptable level. "I...I don't even know what to say!"

"I believe the appropriate response would be, 'say you'll meet me for dinner', or some other exaggerated, corny romanticism."

The nurse bit her lip and nodded. "That sounds like a plan to me!"

The two stood momentarily, facing each other over that air of _awkward moment_, before Christine slowly, shyly moved toward Spock, stood on her tiptoes, and gave him a very light kiss on the cheek.

Despite himself Spock's skin grew warm and his cheeks flushed with a light green.

"Get some sleep," Christine said, and stepped confidently down the hall toward sickbay.

Had this been a game of any sort, Spock would have doubtlessly declared himself _bested_.

"We're all done over here, captain," Scotty reported from the Federation towing vessel.

"About time," Kirk mumbled, then punched the intercom and said, "Good work, Mr. Scott." As final orders were barked about the bridge and the towing process began, a wave of relief washed over the captain.

They were finally on their way home. Sure, there would be reports to file, admirals to deal with, intelligence chiefs to answer to, but they would be home. Jim would be home. _Enterprise _would be home.

So much had happened aboard this ship in the past two weeks. Some of the crew had made closer ties, some of the crew had further proven their worth. But they'd all worked again as a team, and the notion made Kirk's heart swell with pride. His crew _was_ the best in the 'fleet, and he knew it. He wanted everybody to know it.

There was a faint lurch at the captain's feet, the creaking of rope on metal, and Enterprise was again in motion. Never had it been such a comfort, but she was finally headed in the familiar direction.

_**The End**_


End file.
